The  Shakers 


Chakles  Edson  Kobinson 


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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,  NJ. 

The  George  J.  Finney 

Collection  of  Shaker  Literature 

Given  in  Memory  of  His  Uncle 

The  Rev.  John  Clark  Finney 

Class  of  1907 


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Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/concisehistoryOOrobi 


Elder,  Henky  C.  Blinn. 


co:^rcisE  history 


OF 


THE  UNITED  SOCIETY  OF  BELIEVERS 


CALLED 


SHI^I^EK/S 


BY 

CHARLES     EDSON     ROBINSON 


ILLUSTI^ATED 


EAST    CANTERBURY 

N  H 


GOPYI^IGHT,  1893,  BY  GHAP^LES  EDSON  ROBINSON. 
All    rights   reserved. 


Printed  at  Shaker  Village, 

East  Canterbury,    N.   H 


PBEFACE. 


This  little  work  is  the  outcome  of  a  series  of  papers  on  C'ouunimisni,  the 
publication  of  which  was  begun  in  "The  Manufacturer  and  Builder,"  a  New 
York  monthly,  in  the  January  issue  of  1891,  and  is  still,  at  the  present  time, 
being  continued  in  that  Journal,  under  the  vom  cle  phnne  of  C.  R.  Edson. 

The  first  of  the  papers  in  the  series  treated  somewhat  briefly  of  the  relation 
of  capital  and  labor ;  of  the  theories  advanced  by  Edward  Bellamy  in  his 
"Looking  Backward  ;"  of  the  peculiar,  "recent  inaugural  address  of  Mayor 
Sargent  of  New  Haven,  following  with  the  remark  that,  "How  far  these  com- 
munistic ideas,  which  are  spread  so  broadcast,  are  the  outcome  of  an  ardent 
and  honest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  individual  to  benefit  the  poorer  classes  of 
the  community,  or  of  a  desire  to  be  a  promoter  in  the  scheme,  and  thus  reap 
financial  or  political  benefit  as  a  leader,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine."  The 
statement  was  then  made  that  "The  communistic  societies  have  been  legion, 
and  they  have  had  as  champions  in  their  day  some  of  the  most  talented  minds 
in  America.  Five  of  these  associations  w^ere  inaugurated  in  the  last  century, 
and  sixty-eight  from  1819  to  1853  inclusive,  but  that  forty-five  of  them  died 
young,  and  the  most  of  them  in  the  second  year  of  then-  existence." 

The  publication  of  these  papers  called  out  a  lively  correspondence,  which 
was  published  in  the  same  journal,  between  John  C.  Trautwine,  Esq.,  of 
Philadelphia,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  that  city,  one 
of  the  oldest  scientific  institutions  in  the  country,  in  which  he  most  vigorously 
advocated  the  adoption  of  a  political,  governmental  form  of  communism  after 
the  plan  as  set  forth  in  Bellamy's  "Looking  Backward,"  and  the  author  of 
the  communistic  papers,  who,  in  a  series  of  letters  advanced  arguments  show- 
ing the  utter  impracticability  of  such  a  scheme  under  the  natural,  selfish  tend- 
ency of  mankind  for  oppression  ;  that  a  political,  governmental  communism 
could  never  be  made  a  success  until  the  human  family  are  willing  to  submit 
to  a  higher  power  for  their  guidance,  and  to  thoroughly  eradicate  every  feat- 
ure of  selfishness  from  society  as  has  the  doctrine  of  Shakerism  extirpated, 
root  and  branch,  selfishness  from  their  Community. 

The  writer  makes  no  claim  to  originality,  except  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
matter  which  has  been  placed  at  his  disposal.  The  great  aim  and  end  sought 
for  has  been   to  collect  facts  in  relation   to  the  Shakers  and  state  them  so 


IV  PREFACE. 

clearly  that  the  world  may  know,  as  they  read,  of  the  true  life  and  habits  of 
this  most  singular  people.  Their  upright  dealing  and  strict  honesty,  indi- 
vidually and  collectively,  all  persons  can  testify  to  who  have  ever  been 
brought  into  business  relations  with  them.  No  Shaker  was  ever  known  to 
make  a  false  statement  in  relation  to  any  business  transaction  whatever. 

Much  has  been  written  derogatory  of  the  Shakers,  but  they  have  outlived 
all  of  the  calumny  heaped  without  measure,  in  the  past,  upon  their  heads. 
The  world  has  come  to  see  that  vile  characters  are  not  to  be  found  in  the 
Shaker  ranks,  as  their  Society  is  one  of  the  last  places  on  earth  that  persons 
of  a  shady  reputation  would  seek  in  which  to  ply  their  trade. 

Of  the  future  of  Shakerism  and  the  question  as  to  whether  they  will  exist 
as  a  body  to  pass  the  two  hundredth  mile-stone  of  their  years,  is  a  matter  for 
speculation.  Great  and  stirring  events  are  crowding  fast  upon  us  as  a  na- 
tion. What  will  be  our  fate  when  the  year  1976  shall  have  been  reached  it 
is  hard  for  us  to  foretell.  The  vast  concentration  of  capital  in  a  few  indi- 
vidual hands  and  the  great  and  growing  unrest  of  the  laboring  multitude 
bodes  no  good  in  the  Community.  The  rumbling  of  the  volcano  of  discour 
tent  now  heard  in  the  distance  may  break  out  in  our  midst  without  further 
warning  and  bring  us  face  to  face  in  a  conflict  of  the  same  nature  as  has  been 
the  death-knell  of  other  once  powerful  and  prosperous  nations  of  earth  of 
whom  we  now  have  only  monumental  piles  of  ruin  to  mark  their  once  floui-- 
ishing  marts. 

That  Shakerism  will  endure  the  ravages  of  time  as  long  as  other  Christian 
denominations  exist,  we  see  no  reason  to  doubt.  That  the  Shakers  in  their 
daily  lives  are  but  following  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus  and  his  apostles  is  too 
self-evident  for  refutation. 

Charles  Edson  Robinson. 
New  York,  May  15,  1893. 


PREFA0E  BY  THE  PUBLISHER, 


In  the  gooiluess  of  Divine  Provideuce  a  very  acceptable  gift  has  been  con- 
ferred upon  our  Comuiunity,  and  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  unseen  forces 
that  inspire  the  heart  and  move  the  pen  in  the  interests  of  humanity  and 
through  this  medium  for  the  glory  of  God,  we  see  in  this  most  worthy  act  of 
kindness  of  man  toward  man,  that  which  places  the  matter,  embodied  in  this 
little  work  so  closely  to  the  realm  of  inspiration,  that  we  are  quite  pleased  to 
look  upon  it  as  coming  from  the  spirit  of  God,  through  the  spirit  of  man. 

The  writer  of  the  following  pages  although  a  stranger  to  nearly  all  who, 
at  present,  reside  in  the  Community  at  Canterbury,  was  during  the  years  of 
his  childhood  a  resident  of  the  beautiful  village  of  East  Concord,  N.  H.,  about 
eight  miles  distant  from  the  Shakers.  Through  the  visitation  of  some  pleas- 
ant influences  still  resting  on  the  mind,  he  has  passed  along  the  journey  of 
life  unprejudiced  and  been  permitted  to  write  of  the  Community  of  Shakers 
as  he  would  write  of  the  interests  that  demand  his  daily  attention. 

Unsolicited  as  the  whole  subject  has  been  by  us,  and  appearing  in  the  col- 
umns of  the  "Manufacturer  and  Builder,"  written  in  such  a  gentlemanly  and 
liberal  spirit,  it  has  induced  the  directors  of  our  Community  to  suggest  its 
publication  in  book  form,  as  we  might,  in  that  way,  not  only  manifest  our 
appreciation  of  the  work,  but  be  able  to  place  before  our  readers  a  concise 
statement  of  the  origin  of  the  Community,  as  well  as  its  progress  in  the  re- 
ligious world,  and  in  this  way  allow  the  Christian  Communistic  Order  to  be- 
come more  generally  known. 

Our  suggestion  was  not  only  very  cordially  acceded  to  by  our  friend,  the 
author,  but  he  at  once  arranged  the  entire  work  suitably  for  the  use  of  the 
printers.  It  was  the  free-will  gift  of  a  liberal  mind,  and  becomes  of  peculiar 
worth  to  us  on  account  of  having  been  written  by  a  person  not  especially  in- 
terested in  the  religious  doctrines  of  the  Shakers,  nor  by  the  solicitation  of 
any  of  its  members. 

That  there  maj^  be  some  illustrations  of  the  Shakers  and  of  Shakerism  not 
in  perfect  accord  with  the  manner  in  which  a  Shaker  would  express  them, 
is  not,  in  the  least,  a  matter  of  surprise,  nor  a  point  in  the  use  of  language, 
over  which  we  need  dwell  for  a  moment.  The  author,  Charles  E.  Robinson, 
has  demonstrated  with  perspicuity  the  system  of  Communism  as  it  has  been 
and  is  now  known  among  the  Shakers.  He  has  shown  conclusively  that  the 
pages  of  sacred  and  profane  history  bear  witness  of  the  same  order  of  life, 
which  has  led  more  or  less  of  the  family  of  man  to  turn  their  attention  to  a 
deeper  consecration  of  their  lives  for  the  good  of  their  brother  man. 


VI  PREFACE. 

Even  the  devoted  life  of  Jesus  and  no  less  tiiat  of  his  disciples  is  a  strik- 
ing exemplification  of. this  noted  fact,  and  through  this  we  ai-e  led  to  l)elieve 
that  any  man  or  Avoman  whose  life  is  consecrated  to  God  can  not  otherwise 
than  develop  a  system  of  Christian  Communism,  the  same  as  taught  by  Je- 
sus, the  Christ. 

The  witnesses  of  God  for  this  religious  Avork  were  evidently  under  the 
same  spiritual  ministration  as  that  which  came  upon  .  the  primitive  Church, 
and  gave  to  them  new  tongues,  through  which  to  speak  in  praise  to  God,  and 
enable  them  to  live  a  new  life  of  practical  righteousness.  If  the  testimony 
of  Shakerism  bears  any  other  stamj)  than  the  gospel  of  Christ,  then  indeed, 
it  is  not  what  it  purports  to   be. 

As  Jesus  formed  his  little  society  of  such  persons  as  were  willing  to  accept 
his  gospel  ministry,  he  found  them  just  as  the  life  of  the  world  had  de- 
veloped them,  in  that  selfishness  so  characteristic  of  the  natural  man.  Moth- 
er Ann  and  the  Polders  could  not  do  othen^■ise  than  meet  the  people  as  they 
stood  in  their  worldly  relations.  Their  harvest  fields  were  in  the  cities  of 
Babylon,  and  amidst  the  confusion  of  tongues.  It  was  the  forming  of  the 
untried  elements  of  the  world  into  a  Community  of  religious  interests.  All 
the  habits  and  practices  of  an  unregenerate  class  were  brought  to  the  front 
and  made  doubly  conspicuous  by  their  presence  in  a  select  body.  Accepting 
as  some  did,  a  religious  zeal  without  sufficient  weight  to  guide  it,  they  broke 
forth  into  a  religious  wild  fire  and  returned  to  the  world,  iu  lauguage  and 
manners,  just  w^hat  they  had  taken  from  it.  The  same  result  w^ould  evident- 
ly occur  to-day  under  corresponding  circumstances. 

From  that  time  to  toe  present  date,  there  has  been  a  gradual  increase  in 
the  growth  of  the  Community,  till  a  life  of  practical  righteousness,  as  under- 
stood by  the  light  of  to-day  forms  the  leading  feature.  To  be  "pure  and 
peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be  entreated  and  without  hypocrisy,"  is  of  far 
more  consequence  in  the  promotion  of  peace  and  happiness  in  a  Community 
than  can  be  any  system  of  outward  observances. 

The  language,  the  dress,  the  food  and  the  general  customs  of  the  Society 
must  change,  more  or  less,  through  the  growth  of  intelligence,  through  the 
privilege  of  association  and  through  the  demands  of  necessity.  To  meet 
these  judiciously  must  be  by  a  system  of  economy,  that  no  harm  may  arise 
to  the  Community  iu  passing  from  one  degree  of  travel  to  another. 

A  thorough  investigation  of  this  religious  system  is  solicited,  and  if  it  can 
not  bear  the  crucial  test  of  the  professor  and  the  profane,  in  the  light  of  the 
present  day,  then  it  should  be  exposed  and  relegated  to  the  realms  of  Plutoi 
That  we  may  be  thoroughly'  understood  in  the  mission  which  we  have  accept- 
ed, we  would  invite  the  investigator  to  peruse,  carefully,  the  publications  of 
the  Community,  and  see  upon  what  kind  of  a  foundation  we  have  established 
our  hope. 

Henry  C.  Blink. 
•  East  Canterbury,  N.  H.   May  15,  1893. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODU0TION, 

Ancient  Communism. 
Abrahainic.       vSpartaus.       Lyeiirgus.       Foundere  of  the   Christian   Religion. 
Chrishua,    the     Hindoo   Christ.      Mahabrat   Bible.      Moses.      Isaiah.     .Jere- 
miah.    Ezekiel.     Christ.     St.  ,Ierome.     St.  Basil.     Essenes, — brief  history 
of,  forerunners  of  the  American  Shakers.  i-viii 

CHAPTER  I. 

Origin  of  Shakerism.      Shakerism  in  England.  '.l-lo 

CHAPTER     II. 
liirth  of  Mother  Ann  Lee.     Persecutions  in  England.  lo-17 

CHAPTER     III. 
Special  Revelation.     Embark  for  America.     Storm  at  Sea.     Arrival  in  New 
York.     Joim  Hocknell.     Settlement  at  Niskeyuna.      Remarkable   Religious 
Revival.     Imprisonment  as  Tories.     Sat  at  liberty  by  Gov.  Clinton.      17-20 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Watervliet.     Visitation  on  horse-back  to  Massachusetts.      Death   of  Mother 

Ann  Lee.     Father  James  Whittaker  succeeds   to   the    leadership.  Church 

Family  at  Watervliet.     Ancient  Church  at  New  Lebanon.  "2()-'24 

CHAPTER     V. 

Father  James  AVhittaker  in  youth.  Fidelity  to  Mother  Ann.  Critical  hour 
for  Shakerism.  Communism.  New  house  of  worship  built.  Elder  John 
Hocknell.  His  great  liberality.  His  death.  Elder  Joseph  Meacham.  Ex- 
tended visit  of  Father  James  to  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts.  His  death. 
Succession  to  the  leadership  of  Elder  Joseph  Meacham.  24-2<S 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Administration  of  Father  Joseph.  Donation  of  Peter  Ayers.  Visit  of  Gen- 
eral Lafayette.      Remarkable  interview  with  Abijali  Worstei'.  2S-;)1 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Shaker  publications.  The  nine  cardinal  virtues  of  Shakerism.  Covenant. 
Woman's  rights  conceded  in  the  organization.  .11 -."Wi 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Mount  Lebauou  Community.     North  Family  Village.     P^stablishmeut   of  the 
Ministry.     Organization  a  body  corporate.     Visitation  of  Elders  Calvin  Har- 
low and  David   Meacham   into  Connecticut,   Massacliuselts,  New  Hampshire 
and  Maine.     Business  operations.  8()-4.s 

CHAPTER     IX. 

Organization  fully  completed,  all  offices  and  privileges  eqiiall}^  divided  be- 
tween the  Brothers  and  Sisters.  All  meetings  formerly  held  at  Watervliet. 
Building  of  the  Mount  Lebanon  Church  brings  a  change  in  the  nature  of  their 
marching,  dancing  and  spiritualistic  manifestations.  Shaker  hymn-books. 
Gathering  for  a  Community  at  Hancock,  Mass.  Community  at  Harvard, 
Mass.  Canterbury,  N.  H.  Enfield,  Conn.  Shirley,  Mass.  Alfred,  Me. 
Enfield,  N.  H.  New  Gloucester,  Me.  Grovelaud,  N.  Y.  Tyringham, 
Mass.     Elder  John  Whiteley.  48-58 

CHAPTER  X. 

"The  Kentucky  Revival."  Peculiar  manifestations  of  the  converts,  rolling, 
jerking,  barking,  dancing,  singing,  praying,  prophesying.  Hymns.  Shak- 
ers send  missionaries  a  thousand  miles  on  foot  to  investigate  the  phe- 
nomenon. The  ambassadors  persecuted  on  their  arrival.  Two  Shaker 
Communities  established  in  Kentucky,  four  in  Ohio.  58-66 

CHAPTER     XI. 
Biography  of  Bishop  H.  L.  Eads,  South  Union,  K}'.  67-74 

CHAPTER     XII. 

Shaker  Community  at  Busro  on  the  Wabash  River.  Indian  raids.  Indian 
war.  Shakers  drafted  for  military  duty  by  Gen.  Wm.  Henry  Harrison,  gov- 
ernor of  the  Indian  Territory.  Refusal  of  the  Shakers  to  serve.  Bill  passed 
for  then-  relief.  74-76 

CHAPTER     XIII. 

Shaker  Community  at  Alfred,  Me.  John  Cotton.  "New  Lights."  "Mer- 
ry Dancers."  "Come-outers."  "New  Light  Baptists."  Remarkable  expe- 
rience of  John  Cotton.  Pilgrimage  to  Niskeyuna  in  1784.  Eldress  Mary 
P.  Vance.     Eldress  Mary  Ann  Weudall  Gillispie.  77-86 

CHAPTER     XIV. 

Mission  of  the  Shakers  into  the  Province  of  Maine.  Boyhood  vanity  of 
Father  John  Barnes.  Enthusiasm  of  William  Nason  and  others.  New 
house  of  worship.  "Thompson's  Pond  Plantation."  New  Gloucester  Com- 
munity. Elisha  Pote.  Eliphaz  Ring.  "Rang  Hill."  First  meeting-house. 
Sabbathday  Pond.  Origin  of  the  name.  Name  of  New  Gloucester  changed 
to  Sabbathday  Lake.  Poland  Spring  House.  Great  longevity  of  the 
Shakers.  86-98 


CONTENTS.  JX 

CHAPTER     XV. 

Community  at  Canterbury,  N.  H.  The  ride  from  Concord,  N.  H.  Wat- 
tanummon's  field.  Tradition.  East  Concord,  Benjamin  Whitcher's  dona- 
tion. Father  Job  Bishop.  Peter  Ayers.  Shakers  drafted  for  military  duty. 
Trustee,  David  Parker.  Millerite  craze.  Description  of  Shaker  life.  Elder 
Henry  C.  Bliun.     Trustee,  Mary  Whitcher.  .  98-114 

CHAPTER     XVI. 

Sabbath  day  visit  to  the  Canterbury  Community  in  1854.  Church  service. 
Table  Monitor.  114-118 

CHAPTER     XVII. 

Visit  to  the  Canterbury  Community  in  1892.  Spiritualistic  manifestations 
in  1837.  Printing  Office.  Elder  Blinn's  museum.  Skeleton  in  the  family. 
Singing  in  the  chapel.  Style  of  dress.  School.  Pianos  and  organs.  Acre- 
age of  the  Canterbury  Community.     Resume.  118-123 

CHAPTER     XVIII. 

Elder  F.  W.  Evans.  His  Birth.  Life  at  Chadwick  Hall,  immigration  to 
America.  124-129 

CHAPTER     XIX. 

School  Life.  Apprenticed  to  the  hatter's  Trade.  George  Henry  Evans. 
Young  America.  Its  Principles.  Communism.  Joins  the  Shakers.  Liter- 
ary Work.     End  of  an  Active  Lite.  129-134 


LLUSTRATIONS, 


Elder  Henry  C".   Blinn,  ......  Frontispiece. 

Page. 
The  First  Church  at  Mount  Lebanon,   N.   Y.     .  .  .  .  .21 

Village  of  the  Church  at  Watervliet,  "  ....  22 

North  Family  at  Mount  Lebanon,  "  .  .  .  .37 

Church  Family  at      "  "  " 89 

New  Dwelling  of  the  Church  Famil}'  at  Mount  Lebanon,  .  .     43 

Meeting  House  at        "'    "  "  "  "  .  .  4o 

Community  at  Enfield,   Conn.  .......     49 

Community  at  Harvard,  Mass.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  51 

Elder  John  Whiteley, .     53 

Community  at  Shirley,   Mass.  .......  55 

Community  at  Enfield,  N.   H.  '.  .  .  .  .  .  .59 

Church  Family  Home  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Ky.  ....  65 

Bishop  Harvey  L.  Eads,  South  Union,  Ky.  .         ...         .          .67 

Community  at  South  Union,  Ky.  .  .  .  .  .  .  71 

Community  at  Alfred,  Me.  .  .  .         .          .          .          .77 

Eldress  Mary  P.  Vance,  Alfred,  Me 79 

Mary  Ann  Wendall  Gillispie,  Alfred,  Me 83 

Community  at  New  Gloucester,  Me.  .....  87 

Sabbathday  Lake,   Me.  91 

Poland  Hill  Springs,        .  .  .  .  .        '.  .  .•        ,  95 

Community  at  Canterbury,  N.  H.  .         .          .         .          .         .101 

David  Parker,        Trustee.  .......          105 

Mary  Whitcher,  "  ........      107 

Lucy  Ann  Shepard,     "  .         .          .         .          .         .         ,  .  i  n 

Elder  F.  W.  Evans,  125 


INTRODUCTION. 


AISrCIElSTT     COMMUNISM— ESSENES,     THE     FORERUNNERS     OF 
THE     AMERICAN     SHAKERS. 

/^^OMMUNISM  is  fouud  to  be  one  of  the  first  orgauized  forms  of  Society, 
^-^as  old  as  history  itself.  lu  the  days  of  Abraham  of  old,  men  dwelt  in 
tents  and  held  their  property  in  common.  One  thousand  years  later,  we  find 
a  system  of  communism  established  in  Sparta,  by  that  famous  lawgiver, 
Lycurgus,  such  as  the  world  never  saw. 

The  founders  of  the  Christian  Church  were  communists  in  every  sense  of 
the  word.  In  fact  it  is  the  foundation  stone  found  underlying  all  forms  of  re- 
ligion. More  than  two  thousand  years  before  the  advent  of  Christ  we  learn 
from  the  words  of  the  sacred  Hindoo  bible  Ramayana,  of  the  birth  of 
Chrishna,  the  story  of  whose  life  is  more  fully  told  in  the  Baghavat  Gita, 
the  episode  portion  of  the  Mahabrat  bible,  which  book  is  believed  by  the 
Hindoos  as  divinely  inspired,  and  to  Uave  an  antiquity  of  six  thousand 
years. 

Chrishna  had  hosts  of  earnest  followers,  who,  like  himself,  were  bap- 
tized in  the  river  Ganges.  His  life,  and  that  of  his  followers,  was  one  of 
communism.  They  held  all  things  in  common.  He  taught  the  doctrine  of 
equality  for  all  m  n.  From  one  common  fund  all  expenses  were  met.  His 
pn  cepts  display  proiouud  wiidom,  and  are  not  to  be  improved  upon  by 
any  communistic  society  of  the  present  day.  He  taught :  "Let  your  hand 
be  always  open  to  the  unfortunate."  "Wlien  the  poor  man  knocks  at  your 
door,  take  him  in  and  administer  to  his  wants,  for  the  poor  are  the  chosen 
of  God."  "•Contemn  riches  and  worldly  honor."  "There  should  be  no  dis- 
agreement between  your  lives  and  your  doctrine."  "Spend  every  day  as 
though  it  were  the  last."  "Much  riches  is  a  curse  to  the  possessor." 
"A  good,  wise,  and  benevolent  man  can  not  be  rich."  "Money  does  not 
satisfy  the  love  of  gain,  but  only  stimulates  it."  "He  who  gives  to  the 
needy,  loses  nothing  himself."  "Above  all  things,  cultivate  love  for  your 
neighbor." 

So  far  in  this  world's  history  communism  has  gained  no  foothold  in  any 
community,  except  as  identified  with  some  particular  religious  creed. 


2  ANCIENT     COMMUNISM. 

Therefore,  for  successful  communism  or  socialism,  we  must  look  to  the 
body  of  religious  enthusiasts.  In  proof  of  this,  the  history  of  the  career  of 
Chrishna,  the  Christ  of  the  Hindoo  Buddhist,  was  cited.  We  find  the  same 
thing  exemplified  in  the  writings  of  the  Christian  bible.  Moses,  in  tbe  laws 
he  promulgated  for  the  government  of  his  people,  was  communistic,  as  we 
plainly  read  in  the  books  of  Leviticus  and  Deuteronomy.  Evidently  Moses 
took  into  consideration  the  fact  that  human  nature — the  same  then  as  to- 
day— was  so  constituted,  that,  starting  out  with  an  equal  division  of  prop- 
erty for  all  the  people,  the  year  of  Jubilee  must  be  established  in  order  to 
restore  to  the  people  their  rightful  possessions ;  that  the  land  which,  from 
force  of  circumstances,  had  passed  from  the  original  occupants  into  the 
hands  of  the  more  thrifty,  and  the  wealthy,  must  be  re-divided  at  least  once 
in  fifty  years,  in  order  to  restore  the  equilibrium ;  and  so  it  came  about  that 
Moses  gave  out  his  decree  to  the  people  that,  "Ye  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth 
year  and  proclaim  liberty  throughout  all  the  land  unto  all  the  inhabitants 
thereof  :  it  shall  be  a  jubilee  unto  you  ;  and  ye  shall  return  every  man  unto 
his  possession — the  land  shall  not  be  sold  forever." 

Moses  sought  to  prevent  extreme  poverty  by  compelling  the  wealthy  to 
share  their  riches  with  their  less  fortunate  neighboi's ;  this  was  the  civil  law 
of  the  land,  but  consecrated  by  religion,  and  only  held  in  force  so  long  as 
the  religion  of  Moses  was  predominant  and  governed  the  people.  In  time, 
this  form  of  communism  failed,  and  wholly  because  of  the  failure  of  the 
Jews  to  remain  steadfast  in  the  faith  of  their  fathers.  The  great  desire  for 
emolument  and  wealth  toolv  firm  possession  of  tbe  people  to  the  entire  ex- 
clusion of  the  tenets  promulgated  by  Moses,  and  notwithstanding  the  de- 
nunciations heaped  upon  them  by  that  greatest  of  all  socialists,  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  whose  thunder  tones  must  have  stung  to  the  quick  those  who  sought 
to  "grind  the  faces  of  the  poor,"  they  did  not  however  cease  to  "join  house 
to  house  and  field  to  field,"  unmindful  of  Isaiah's  cry  "that  there  be  no  place 
left  in  the  land  !  " 

But  in  what  direction  did  Isaiah  look  for  relief  from  the  oppression  of  the 
wealthy?  Was  it  not  in  the  appearance  of  a  king,  the  Messiah,  who  would 
banish  from  the  face  of  the  earth  all  injustice  and  selfishness,  and  restore  to 
the  people  of  God  the  land  of  their  fathers?  And  as  the  state  of  society 
grew  ever  worse,  the  poor  growing  poorer  and  the  oppressed  more  oppressed, 
we  find  their  champions  in  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  who  joined  with  Isaiah  iu 
proclaiming  words  of  most  bitter  denunciation  of  the  avarice  of  the  wealthy, 
and  in  the  promise  of  a  deliverance  from  all  their  woes  for  those  who  should 
remain  steadfast  in  the  faith. 

And  when  the  deliverer  came  in  the  person  of  Christ,  do  we  not  find    him 
preaching    "the   Gospel   to    the  poor"    and  proclaiming  "deliverance  to  the  , 
captives?"     Are  not  the  rich  most  unmercifully  denounced  by  him    and    the 
poor   blessed?     Is   not   his   injunction   to  the  rich  young  man  the  very  key- 


ANCIENT     COMMUNISM.  B 

note  of  coiriTnumsm? — "Go  and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor, 
and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  :  and  come  and  follow  me."  And  i;i 
all  his  teachings,  do  we  not  see  ever  uppermost  the  fundamental  idea  of  a 
state  of  society  where  perfect  equality  of  property  shall  be  enjoyed  alike  by 
all  the  earth?  And  this  same  form  of  communism  has  been  kept  alive  by 
the  teachings  of  the  church,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  as  it  has  conformed 
to  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

The  early  fathers  of  the  church  stigmatized  the  accumulation  of  riches  as 
no  better  than  robbery.  St.  Jerome  and  St.  Basil  denounced  in  no  mild 
terms  the  accumulution  of  wealth.  They  declared  that  "riches  is  robbery," 
and  sought  with  all  their  power  to  turn  the  people  from  such  selfish  pursuits. 

And  so  through  all  the  dark  ages,  and  during  all  the  struggle  of  individu- 
als for  supremacy,  the  strong  man  overpowering  the  weak,  creating  himself  a 
lord,  regarding  the  weak  as  but  an  underling — a  serf — and  installed  by  hini 
as  a  toiler  by  the  sweat  of  whose  brow  the  labor  was  performed  that  enabled 
him  to  exist  in  idleness  and  luxury ;  we  find  the  lackey  constantly  smarting 
from  his  wounds,  but  seemingly  powerless  to  rise  above  his  surroundings,  or 
to  improve  his  condition. 

And  how  can  we  expect  any  other  state  of  affairs  in  this  world  so  long  as 
human  nature  remains  the  same?  True,  the  refining  influence  of  the  Chrib- 
tian  religion  has  done  much  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  mankind ;  but 
aside  from  a  few  communistic  societies,  of  which  probably  that  of  the  Shak- 
ers is  to-day  the  most  perfect  type  we  have,  do  we  find  the  communistic 
doctrine  as  established  by  Christ  anywhere  practiced  or  taught  in  our 
churches  ? 

All  the  talk  of  the  government  assuming  the  functions  of  commerce  now- 
enjoyed  by  corporations  and  individuals,  of  making  one  universal  salaried 
rate  for  all,  is  chimerical  in  the  extreme.  The  desire  for  independent  indi- 
vidualism was  what  led  the  first  settlers  to  these  western  shores,  and  that 
trait  of  human  nature  is  just  as  strong  in  man  to-day  as  then.  And  unt'i 
an  entirely  different  race  of  human  beings,,  wholly  devoid  of  the  peculiiu' 
characteristics  which  are  now  such  prominent  features,  shall  have  become 
inhabitants  of  our  land,  need  we  expect  any  great  change  in  our  social 
economy. 

We  find  in  the  ancient  sect  of  Essenes,  a  communistic  society  of  Chris- 
tians, who,  if  we  may  believe  the  words  of  that  Roman  naturalist  and  au- 
thor, Pliny,  have  existed  for  thousands  of  ages.  And  furthermore,  is  it  not 
surpassingly  strange  that  a  sect  whose  exemplary  virtues  commanded  the 
unbounded  admiration  of  even  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  whose  doc- 
trines and  practices  were  so  strikingly  similar  to  the  teachings  of  Christ, 
should  be  so  little  known  among  intelligent  Christians? 

Perhaps  this  may  be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  that  Evangelical  Chris- 
tians seem  to  have  been  extremely  anxious  to  hide  every  appearance  of  simi- 


4  THE     ESSENE8. 

larity  between  Essenism  and  Christianity,  lest  the  popular  mind  become  im- 
bued with  the  idea  that  Christianity  sprang  from  Essenism.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  plain  that  the  Rationalists  have  sought  to  make  most  prominent 
every  feature  of  resemblance  between  the  two  as  a  proof  that  Christianity  is 
but  the  offspring  of  Essenism.  At  any  rate,  this  is  the  idea  that  an  unbiased 
mind  will  be  likely  to  have  after  a  perusal  of  the  religious  histories  of  the 
evangelical  churches  and  the  popular  encyclopaedias  on  this  subject.  There- 
fore we  are  led  to  seek  our  information  regarding  this  most  remarkable  sect 
from  the  fountain  source  from  which  all  the  reliable  information  we  have  of 
this  people  originally  came. 

The  first  mention  we  have  of  the  existence  of  the  Essenes  is  in  the  days 
of  Jonathan,  the  Maccabean,  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  years  before  C  hrist. 
We  find  this  in  the  "Antiquities"  of  the  Jewish  historian,  Flavius  Josephus, 
xiii.,  5-8.  The  next  mention  of  them  is  by  the  same  historian  in  his  "Jew- 
ish War,"  1-3  sec.  5  ;  Antiq.  xiii.,  sec.  2,  in  the  reign  of  Aristobulus  I.,  106 
B.  C.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Josephus  was  born  in  Jerusalem  about 
37  A.  D.  He  wrote  in  Greek,  and  improved  every  opportunity  to  impress 
upon  the  Greeks  and  Romans  that  every  phase  and  sect  of  Judaism  had  ita 
counterpart  in  all  the  different  systems  of  Greek  and  Roman  philosophy. 

Philo,  who  was  born  in  Alexandria  somewhere  between  the  years  20  and  1 
B.  C,  has  given  us  two  accounts  of  the  Essenes ;  one  in  his  treatise  :  "Ev- 
ery Virtuous  Man  is  Free,"  and  the  other,  his  "Apology  for  the  Jews." 
However,  as  during  his  whole  life  he  resided  in  Alexandria,  his  information 
respecting  the  Essenes  must  have  been  gathered  from  others.  He  attributes 
the  foundation  of  the  order  to  Moses. 

We  next  read  of  the  Essenes  in  Pliny's  "Natural  History,"  book  v.,  chap, 
xvii.  The  author,  Caius  Plinius  Secundus,  was  born  in  Rome,  A.  D.  23, 
and  died  in  the  year  79.  He  asserts  that,  without  a  single  addition  by  birth, 
incredible  as  this  may  appear,  the  Essenes  have  prolonged  their  existence  for 
thousands  of  ages.  The  next  in  order  of  time  is  the  testimony  of  Josephus, 
in  his  history  of  the  "Jewish  Wars,"  book  ii.,  chap,  viii.,  sec.  2-13;  also 
Antiq.,  book  viii.,  chap  v.,  sec.  9,  and  book  xv.,  chap,  x.,  sec.  4,  etc. 

Then  we  next  find  an  account  of  the  Essenes  in  the  "Polyhistor,"  a  geo- 
graphical compendium  ;  the  author  of  which,  Caius  Julius  Solinus,  flourished 
about  the  year  238,  but  it  is  plain  that  what  he  says  of  them  in  chap,  xxxv., 
sec.  7-10,  is  taken  from  Pliny. 

The  next  we  read  of  the  Essenes  is  in  the  treatise  of  the  celebrated  Greek 
philosopher,  and  anti christian  writer.  Porphyry,  who  was  born  about  the 
year  233  and  died  about  305.  In  his  work  "On  the  Abstinence  from  Ani- 
mal Food"  (Lugduni  ap  Morillon,  1620,  p.  381,)  he  gives  an  account  of 
the  Essenes,  but  as  he  tells  us,  taken  from  Josephus,  although  he  enlarges 
somewhat  on  what  we  find  in  Josephus  in  relation  to  the  sect.  Porphyry, 
Solinus    and   Pliny   were   greatly    prejudiref      gainst    the  Jews  and  seldom 


THE     ESSENES.  0 

granted  them  justice  iu  the  matter  of  their  religion  even  when  conversant 
with  the  inward  workings  of  it.  The  account  of  the  Esseues  which  we  have 
in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Pamphili  Eusebius,  the  Bishop  of  Cesarea, 
who  was  born  about  the  year  270,  and  died  about  338,  is  copied  from  Philo. 

The  foregoing  named  authorities  are  all  the  witnesses  that  are  now  extant 
who  can  give  us  any  information  regarding  the  character  of  this  most  an- 
cient people  who  originated  at  a  date  long  ages  ago,  but  precisely  when,  it  is 
now  impossible  to  tell.  Josephus  says  that  they  have  existed  "ever  since 
the  ancient  time  of  the  fathers." 

The  Christian  writer,  Epiphanius,  drew  largely  upon  his  imagination  in 
relation  to  this  people,  as  have  all  others  down  to  more  recent  times  who 
have  departed  in  any  material  degree  from  the  following  testimony  as  found 
in  the  works  we  have  mentioned,  and  which  have  been  compiled  and  embod- 
ied in  an  essay  reprinted  from  the  transactions  of  the  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society  of  Liverpool,  entitled  "The  Essenes :  their  History  and 
Doctrines,"  by  Christian  D.  Giusburg,  L.  L.  D.,  London,  1861.  The  doc- 
trines and  practices  of  the  Essenes  were  as  follows  :  The  law  of  God,  as  ex- 
pounded by  Moses,  was  held  in  the  utmost  veneration  by  them,  and  indeed, 
to  such  an  extent  was  this  carried,  that  they  visited  with  capital  punishment 
any  of  their  number  who  blasphemed  the  name  of  Moses,  the  great  law-giver. 
Their  highest  aim  was  to  attain  that  spiritual  intercourse  with  God  which 
would  enable  them  to  prophesy,  perform  miracles  and  miraculous  cures,  and 
so,  become  like  Elias,  the  forerunner  of  the  Messiah.  This  they  regarded 
as  the  last  stage  of  perfection  on  this  earth,  and  which  could  only  be  reached 
by  a  gradual  growth  in  holiness  and  a  strict  observance  of  all  the  com- 
numdmeuts,  and  the  Levitical  laws  of  purity  as  contained  in  the  Pentateuch; 
mortifying  the  flesh  and  the  lusts  thereof ;  being  meek  and  lowly  in  spirit, 
inasmuch  as  this  would  bring  them  into  closer  communion  with  God.  They 
regarded  the  taking  of  oaths  as  a  desecration.  Their  communication  was 
yea,  yea ;  nay,  nay,  and  whatever  was  moi'e  than  this,  came  from  evil.  Im- 
bued with  this  manner  of  thought  as  their  aim  iu  life,  the  Essenes  withdrew 
themselves  altogether  from  the  society  of  the  Jews  and  formed  a  separate 
community,  with  the  fundamental  idea,  that  to  be  pure,  they  must  live  apart 
from  the  world,  since  contact  with  any  one  who  did  not  practice  these  laws, 
rendered  them  impure.  It  was  this  same  idea  of  purity  that  impelled  them 
to  abstain  from  marriage,  which  was  regarded  by  them  as  defiling.  They 
sought  to  carry  out  the  very  letter  of  the  law  as  given  in  Leviticus,  chap. 
XV.,  16-33  ;  Exodus,  chap,  xix.,  15,  believing  that  it  was  only  by  living  the 
life  of  a  celibate  that  they  could  be  pure.  In  1  Corinthians,  chap,  vii.,  5-9, 
we  find  St.  Paul  teaching  this  same  doctrine.  There  were,  however,  some 
weak  brethren,  even  among  the  Essenes,  who  could  not  be  like  the  angels  in 
heaven,  neither  marrying  nor  are  given  in  marria,ge,  and  these  were  allowed 
to  take  unto  themselves  wives,   but  in  consequence  of  it  were  debarred  from. 


6  THE    ESSENES. 

advancing  to  the  highest  orders  of  the  brotherhood,  and  had,  nioreovf  r,  to 
observe  laws  especially  enacted  for  the  married  brethren  aul  sisters. 

Each  person  upon  entering  the  order  was  required  to  deposit  in  the  gener- 
al treasury  all  he  possessed,  from  which  the  wants  of  the  whole  community 
were  supplied  ;  therefore  all  things  were  held  in  common  by  them  ;  there 
were  neither  rich  nor  poor  in  their  community;  no  masters  nor  servants. 
They  lived  peaceably  with  all  men  ;  reprobated  slavery  and  war,  and  would 
not  even  manufacture  an}'  martial  instruments.  1  hey  were  governed  by  a 
president  who  was  elected  by  the  whole  body,  a-nd  who  also  acted  as  the 
judge  of  the  community.  Trials  were  conducted  by  a  jury  composed  of  a 
majority  of  the  community,  or  of  at  least  a  hundred  members,  who  were  re- 
quired to  render  a  unanimous  verdict.  The  brother  who  was  found  guilty 
of  walking  disorderly,  was  excommunicated,  3'et  not  regarded  as  an  enemy, 
but  admonished  as  a  brother,  and  was  received  back  after  due  repentance. 

As  it  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Levitical  purity  to  purchase  anything 
from  one  not  practicing  those  laws,  the  Essenes  were  obliged  to  supply 
themselves  from  their  own  resources,  with  all  of  their  wants,  each  one  in  the 
community  willingly  took  his  share  of  the  work  in  the  department  in  which 
he  most  excelled.  Some  tilled  the  ground,  others  tended  the  flocks  and  en- 
gaged in  the  rearing  of  bees ;  some  prepared  the  food,  while  others  made 
their  articles  of  dress;  some  were  physicians,  and  some  instructors  of  the 
young;  whilst  all  of  them  devoted  certain  hours  to  studying  the  m^^sterie^ 
of  nature  and  revelation,  and  of  the  celestial  hierarcln^  1  hey  arose  in  the 
morning  before  the  sun,  and  never  talked  about  any  worldly  matti  rs  until 
they  had  all  assembled  together,  then  with  the'r  faces  turned  towai'd  the  ris- 
ing sun,  they  sang  their  national  hymn  of  praise  to  God  for  the  renvwal  of 
the  light  of  day.  This  done,  each  betook  himself  to  Ids  regular  daily  em- 
ployment, according  as  the  overseers  might  direct.  At  the  fifth  hour  (eleven 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,)  all  assembled  together  for  a  baptism  in  cold  water, 
donned  their  white  garments,  the  symbol  of  purit}',  and  then  made  their  wn}^ 
to  the  refectory  for  their  noonday  meal,  entering  with  as  much  solemnity  as 
if  it  were  the  temple. 

The  meal  was  a  very  common  one,  and  each  member  took  his  seat  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  his  age.  The  bakers  and  cooks  then  placed  before  each 
one  a  small  loaf  of  bread  and  a  dish  of  the  most  simple  food,  C(msisting 
chiefly  of  vegetables,  as  they  ate  very  little  animal  flesh.  After  a  blessing 
by  the  pi'iest,  they  partook  of  the  repast  in  a  mysterious  silence  during  the 
.entire  meal,  which  seemed  to  partake  of  a  sacrament,  and  perhaps  designed 
by  them  as  a  substitute  for  the  sacrifices  which  they  refused  to  offer  in  the 
.temple.  The  priest  terminated  the  meal  by  again  offering  thanks  to  the 
Bountiful  Supplier  of  all  our  wants,  which  Avas  the  sign  of  dismissal.  There- 
upon all  withdrew,  laid  aside  their  white  and  sacred  garments,  resumed  their 
working  clothes,  and  repaired  to  their  several  occupations  until  evening, 
when  they  returned  as  before  to  another  common  meal. 


THE     ESSENES.  V 

Although  everything  was  done  by  direction  of  the  overseers,  and  all  pay- 
ments and  presents  came  from  the  hands  of  the  stewards,  yet  in  two  things 
they  were  at  perfect  liberty  to  act  as  they  pleased.  They  could  relieve  the 
distressed  with  as  much  money  as  they  thought  proper,  and  could  manifest 
their  compassion  for  those  who  were  not  of  the  brotherhood  as  much  as  they 
pleased.      Such  was  their  manner  of  life  during  the  week  days. 

The  Sabbath  was  observed  by  them  with  the  utmost  rigor,  and  they  re- 
garded even  the  removal  of  a  vessel  as  labor  and  a  desecration  of  the  holy 
day.  Ten  persons  constituted  a  complete  and  legal  number  for  divine  wor- 
ship in  their  synagogue.  In  the  presence  of  such  an  assembly,  an  Essene 
would  never  spit,  and  upon  no  occasion  would  he  spit  to  his  right  hand. 

They  had  no  ordained  ministers  whose  exclusive  light  it  was  to  conduct 
the  service ;  any  one  who  liked  could  read  from  their  sacred  books,  whilst 
another,  perhaps  with  more  experience  in  spmtual  matters,  expounded  what 
was  read.  The  distinctive  ordinances  of  the  brotherhood,  as  well  as  the  mys- 
teries connected  with  the  Tetragrammaton  and  the  angelic  worlds  were  the 
prominent  topics  of  Sabbatic  instruction.  Every  investigation  into  the  causes 
of  the  phenomena,  both  of  mind  and  matter,  was  strictly  forbidden,  because 
the  study  of  logic  and  metaphysics  was  regarded  as  injurious  to  a  devo- 
tional life. 

Celibacy  being  the  rule  of  Essenism,  they  looked  to  the  Jewish  community 
at  large  for  recruits  with  which  to  fill  the  ranks  of  the  brotherhood.  They 
preferred  the  taking  of  children,  whom  they  educated  most  carefully,  teach- 
ing them  the  practices  of  the  order.  Every  adult  candidate  was  required  to 
pass  through  a  novitiate  of  two  stages,  extending  for  the  term  of  three  years, 
before  he  could  be  fully  admitted  into  tiie  order.  At  the  very  outset  he  was 
required  to  cast  all  of  his  possessions  into  the  common  treasury.  He  then 
received  a  copy  of  the  regulations  of  the  brotherhood,  also  a  spade,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  command  in  Deuteronomy  xxiii.,  12-14,  also  an  apron 
and  a  white  robe,  as  a  symbol  of  purity,  to  be  worn  at  his  meal.  During 
th"  whole  of  this  period  he  was  but  an  outsider,  never  being  admitted  to  the 
common  meals,  yet  obliged  to  observe  some  of  the  ascetic  rules  of  the  soci- 
ety. If  the  candidate  properly  acquitted  himself  during  this  probationary 
l)erio;l,  he  was,  at  the  end  of  his  term,  admitted  into  the  second  stage  of  liis 
installment,  lasting  for  two  years,  and  was  then  known  as  an  "approaclier." 
During  this  period  he  was  admitted  to  a  closer  fellowship  with  the  brother- 
hood, and  shared  in  their  lustral  rites ;  still  he  was  not  admitted  to  then- 
common  meals,  nor  to  any  office.  If  he  passed  satisfactorily  through  this 
second  stage  of  his  probation,  the  "approacher"  became  an  "associate,"  or 
a  full  member  of  the  society.  But  before  he  was  made  a  homiletic,  he  must 
bind  himself  by  a  most  solemn  oath  (this  being  the  only  occasion  an  Essene 
ever  takes  an  oath)  to  observe  three  things:  1st,  love  to  God;  2d,  merciful 
justice  towards  all  men  ;   honoring  no  man  as  master ;  avoiding  the    wicked ; 


8  THE     ESSENES. 

helping  the  righteous ;  being  faithful  to  every  man,  and  especially  towards 
rulers,  for  without  God  no  one  comes  to  be  a  ruler ;  3rd,  purity  of  charac- 
ter, which  implied  humility,  love  of  truth,  hatred  of  falsehood,  strict  secrecy 
towards  outsiders,  that  the  sacred  doctrines  be  not  divulged  to  anj^  one,  and 
perfect  openness  with  the  members  of  the  order ;  and,  finally,  carefully  to 
preserve  the  books  belonging  to  their  sect,  and  the  names  of  the  angels,  or 
the  mysteries  connected  with  the  Tetragrammaton,  and  the  other  names  of 
God  and  the  angels,  comprised  in  the  theosophy,  as  well  as  with  the  cos- 
mogony which  also  played  so  important  a  part  among  the  Jewish  mystics 
and  the  Kabbalists. 

The  three  sections  of  the  novitiate  were  subdivided  into  four  orders,  dis- 
tinguished from  each  other  by  superior  holiness ;  and  so  marked  and  serious 
were  these  distinctions,  that  if  one  belonging  to  a  higher  degree  of  purity 
touch  one  of  a  lower  order,  however  far  advanced  he  might  be  before  he  was 
received  into  the  full  order  and  had  taken  the  oath,  the  one  of  the  higher 
order  immediately  became  impure,  and  could  only  regain  his  purity  by  lus- 
trations. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  novitiate  to  the  time  of  his  achievement  of  the 
highest  spiritual  state,  there  were  eight  different  stages  which  marked  the 
gradual  growth  in  holiness. 

The  first  stage  attained  after  receiving  the  white  apron,  was  the  outward, 
or  bodily  purity,  by  baptism.  That  of  the  second,  related  to  abstinence 
from  connubial  intercourse.  The  third,  that  of  inward  or  spiritual  purity; 
fourth,  to  the  banishing  of  all  auger  and  malice,  and  the  cultivation  of  a 
meek  and  lowly  spirit ;  fifth,  to  the  culminating  point  of  holiness.  From 
this  summit  of  holiness  he  passed  to  the  sixth  stage,  to  that  of  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  could  prophesy.  At  the  seventh  stage,  he  was  enabled 
to  perform  miraculous  cures,  and  to  raise  the  dead.  On  arriving  at  the 
eighth  and  last  stage,  he  reached  to  the  position  of  P^lias — the  forerunner  of 
the   Messiah. 

From  the  fact  that  Josephus  says  the  Essenes  "•lived  tlie  same  kind 
of  life  which,  among  the  Greeks,  has  been  ordered  by  Pythagoras," 
some  writers  assert  that  Essenism  is  the  offspring  of  Pythagorism. 
The  most  able  champion  for  this  view  is  Zeller,  the  author  of  the  "History 
of  Philosophy."  But  the  differences  between  the  two  are  quite  marked. 
First,  the  Pythagoreans  were  essentially  polytheists ;  the  Essenes,  real  mon- 
otheistic Jews,  and  worshipers  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  second,  the  Py- 
thagoreans clustered  around  Pythagoras  as  the  center  of  their  spiritual  and 
intellectual  life  ;  the  Essenes  regarding  the  inspired  scriptures  as  their  sole 
source  of  spiritual  life ;  thirdly,  the  Pythagoreans  favored  matrimony,  and 
we  are  told  that  Pythagoras  himself  had  a  wife  and  children  ;  whilst  the  Es- 
senes regarded  the  marriage  state  as  one  of  impurity,  and  that  those  in  it 
could  never  attain  to  the  high  standard  of  spiritual  happiness  and  purity  of 
the  celibate. 


CHAPTER     I. 

SHAKERISM     IIST     ENGLAND. 

THERE  is  at  the  present  day  a  society  of  Christians  fonnd,  we  are  told, 
now  only  in  America,  which  have  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Es- 
senes.  Indeed,  they  have  so  many  features  in  common,  one  is  almost  led  to 
think  that  the  United  Society  of  Believers,  called  Shakers,  are  but  the  lineal 
descendants  of  the  Essenes. 

Time  brings  its  changes  in  every  department  of  life,  and  so  we  look  for  it 
in  religious  as  well  as  in  secular  affairs.  And  we  find  very  many  marked 
changes  in  the  evangelical  doctrines  that  are  promulgated  from  the  pulpits  of 
our  churches  to-day  from  that  of  even  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  What 
changes  then  may  we  expect  to  find  when  measured  by  the  lapse  of  hundreds 
of  centuries?  Certainly  no  less  than  now  appears  between  the  tenets  of  the 
Essenes  of  three  thousand  years  ago  and  their  counterpart  of  to-day,  the 
American  Shakers,  in  this  the  nineteenth  century. 

Christ  and  his  apostles  were  Essenes  in  many  of  the  features  of  the  religion 
which  they  taught.  Equally  true  is  this  of  the  Society  of  Shakers.  And 
neither  do  we  find  any  other  religious  sect  so  closely  following  the  teachings 
ijf  the  Essenes,  and  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  as  do  the  Shakers.  It  can 
truthfully  be  said  of  them  that  they  have  left  the  follies  and  frivolities  of 
life  to  follow  the  teachings  of  Christ.  And  still,  paradoxical  as  it  may  seem 
to  many,  the  Shakers  do  not  believe  that  Christ  is  God,  nor  the  son  of  God, 
only  as  he  was  the  first-born  son  into  tlie  new  creation — the  heavenly  Jeru- 
salem ;  the  eldest  brother  of  other  sous  of  God,  yet  to  be  born  into  the  new 
creation.  They  declare  that  they  "love  him  only  for  his  works'  sake,"  and, 
because  in  "Jesus  alone  were  all  the  characteristics  of  a  perfect  Christian." 

But  who  are  the  Shakers?  And  what  is  Shakerism  ?  Thi  first  question  is 
easily  answered,  as  most  of  us,  at  one  time  or  another,  have  met  with 
some  of  the  Brethren  and  Sisters  of  "this  peculiar  people,"  dressed  in  the 
singular  garb  by  which  they  have  been  known  to  the  world  for  upwards  of  a 
century.  The  Brethren  in  their  drab  suits  and  light  drab  hats;  the  Sisters 
in  their  plain  dresses,  entirely  devoid  of  trimming  of  any  kind,  with  a*  white 
or  colored  silk  kerchief  over  their  shoulders,  the  head  and  face  quite  con- 
cealed by  a  plain  Quaker  bonnet, — this  constituted  to  the  average  mind,  about 
all  there  was  of  Shakerism  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

But  what  is  this  Shakerism  which  has  given  a  century's  proof,  in  this  coun- 
try, as  being  one  of  the  most  successful  forms  of  communism  ever  devised. 


10  shakekis:m    in    England. 

There  has  ever  beeu  a  time  in  the  history  of  nations  when  a  body  of  relig- 
ions enthnsiasts  have  existed  analogons,  in  some  measure,  to  our  American 
Shakers.  They  may  be  fonnd  in  the  followers  of  Chrislma  Zeus  in  Hin- 
dostan,  2500  3'ears  B.  C.  ;  of  Zulis,  or  Zhulis,  in  Egypt,  1700  years  B.  C.  ;  of 
C'rite  in  C'haldea,  1200  years  B.  C,  ;  of  Atys  in  Phrygia,  1170  years  B.  C.  ; 
of  Thammuz  in  S^u'ia,  1160  years  B.  C. ;  of  Hesns  in  Gaul,  834  years  B.  C.  ; 
of  Baal,  ''the  only  begotten  of  God,"  in  Pha?uicia,  and  of  Indra  in  Thibet, 
and  of  Bali,  or  Bel,  in  Asia,  725  j^ears  B.  C. ;  of  Mithra  in  Persia,  600  years 
B.  C. ;  of  Budha  Sakia  in  India,  590  years  B.  C.  :  of  Quexalcote  in  Mexico, 
587  years  B.  C. ;  of  Prometheus  in  Caucasus,  547  years  B.  C.  ;  of  Quiriuus 
in  Rome,  506  years  B.  C.  ;  all  of  whom,  history  tells  us,  were  crucified  as 
"sous  of  the  Most  High,"  and  saviors  of  the  world. 

Shakerism  is  Spiritualism,  and  to  use  their  own  words,   "the  most  radical, 
Spiritualists  of  our  day." 

And  they  further  declare;  "We  are  thoroughly  convinced  of  spirit  com- 
munication and  interpositions,  spirit  guidance  and  obsession.  Our  Spiritual- 
ism has  permitted  us  to  converse,  face  to  face,  with  indi%'iduals  once  mor- 
tals, some  of  whom  we  well  knew,  and  with  others  born  before  the  flood. 
All  spiritual  phenomena  commonly  occurring  iu  the  world  had  an  inaugura- 
tion among  us,  long  before  the  Rochester  rappings.  By  our  Spiritualism 
we  are  become  confirmed  infidels  to  the  foolish  bodily  resurrection  theory ; 
to  the  untrue  and  disappointing  atonement  doctrine;  to  the  monstrous  trinity 
scheme;  to  the  crnel predestination  belief,  and  to  all  the  man-made  creeds  of 
the  popular  churches  professing  Christianity.  We  are  sure  these  theories 
are  untrue,  and  we  have  had  hundreds  of  testimonies  from  tiiose  who,  when 
in  the  body,  Avere  as  firm  in  the  belief  of  their  verity  as  any  can  be  now,  but 
who  were  bitterly  disappointed  on  arrival  in  the  spirit  world."* 

Shakerism  is  a  prominent  type  of  Christian  communism — a  "community 
of  goods,"  which  has  never  been  more  perfectly  accomplished  than  by  the 
Shnkers.  1  hey  are  Christian  celibates,  practicing  all  the  virtues  and  avoiding 
all  the  vices  incident  to  mankind,  and  have  flourish 'd  in  this  country  with 
remarkable  success  for  more  than  a  century.  Landing  in  Auieiica  from 
England  in  1774,  a  little  band  of  but  nine  individuals,  virtually  without 
•'purse  or  scrip,"  but  now  with  a  membership  of  above  two  thousand  per- 
sons, and  landed  possessions  of  more  than  sixty  thousand  acres  of  excellent 
farming  lands,  including  sixteen  villages  of  house,  mill  and  other  manufac- 
turing property  ;  these  rank  them  as  a  most  thrifty  people.  They  are  strict- 
ly temperate  in  all  things,  and  offer  no  worldly  inducements  for  individuals 
to  join  their  order.  Applicants  must  come,  if  they  come  at  all,  of  their 
own  volition,  anxious  to  embrace  Shakerism  because  of  its  godliness  :  and 
before  one  would  be  admitted  as  one  of  their  fraternity,  they  would  be  asked 
this  as  one  of   the  first  questions  :   "What  is  your  motive  in  wishing  to  join 

*  "Plain  Talks  Concerning  the  Shakers,"  page  12. 


SHAKEKIS:,!     IX     EXGLAXD.  11 

US?"  If  the  aus^vu  comes,  as  it  must  in  tlie  en  1  to  [u-ove  efficacious;  '^I 
am  sick  of  sin,  and  want  salvation  from  it  I  "  .-ud  whei"  this  is  appiuvnt, 
they  are  never  anxious  to  know  if  the  individual  is  rich  or  poor,  but  pieier 
the  latter,  "with  only  the  clothes  commonly  in  the  possession  of  moral, 
cleanly  people,  rather  than  to  admit  any  for  other  reasons,  though  they  had 
the  wealth  of  an  Astor."  And,  further,  any  one  seeking  admission  as  a 
member,  is  required,  ere  they  have  any  encouragement  at  all,  "to  settle,  as 
far  as  possible,  all  debts  and  contracts*to  the  satisfaction  of  creditors;"  and 
then  their  rule  is  :  "If  candid  seekers  after  salvation  come  to  us,  we  neither 
accept  them  nor  reject  them ;  we  admit  them,  leaving  the  spirit  of  goodness 
to  decide  as  to  their  sincerity  ;  to  bless  their  efforts,  if  sincere,  or  to  make 
tlicm  very  dissatisfied  if  hypocritical.  After  becoming  thoroughly  acquaint- 
ed with  our  principles,  we  ask  individuals  to  give  evidence  of  their  sincerity 
by  an  honest  confession  of  their  sins,  as  committed  against  their  own  light, 
or  conscience,  to  the  spirit  of  God,  as  they  now  receive  it  and  this  act  of 
contrition  is  to  be  in  prayer  before  a  witness  of  their  own_  sex.  We  are  led 
to  believe  by  accepting  the  testimony  of  Jesus  the  Christ  that  without  an 
honest  confession  to  God,  there  is  no  remission  for  sin,  and  this  cannot  be 
done  only  as  the  individual  walks  in  the  light  of  life  by  putting  away  the  in- 
fluences of  the  world  and  by  putting  on  the  life  of  Christ.  It  often  takes 
years  for  an  individual  to  complete  this  work  of  thorough  confession  and  re- 
jipntance  ;  but  upou  this  more  than  aught  else,  depends  their  success  as  per- 
majieut  and  happy  members."  * 

The  Shakers  are  quite  indifferent  as  to  the  religious  belief  of  their  incoming 
members.  They  say  to  all  sueli :  "We  do  not  lay  so  much  stress  upon  what 
you  may  have  believed,  vvhetlier  it  be  eouceruiug  a  trinity  or  a  duality  in  De- 
it}^,  only  let  no  (Tod  be  an  interference  to  the  principle  of  strictest  discipline 
of  purity.  Incline,  if  you  choose  to  predestination,  only  regard  it  as  estab- 
lished that  you  were  predestined  as  a  Christian,  to  be  a  follower  of  Jesus  in 
vu'gmity  of  life  and  thought.  Believe,  if  you  please,  in  Jesus  as  an  atone- 
ment, and  continue  to  do  so  if  you  prefer;  but  also  assure  us  that  at-one- 
ment  with  Christ,  is  to  live  free  and  apart  from  fleshly  lusts  and  worldly  am- 
bitious, and  to  pattern  your  life  by  the  Christian  model.  We  are  not  con- 
cerned about  your  metaphysics,  your  materialism,  nor  spiritualism,  but  we 
ask  you  to  square  your  life  by  him  whose  life  was  without  blemish."  f 

To  the  world  they  say:  "When  all  things  of  earth,  man-made  creeds, 
worldly  pleasures,  and  carnal  vanities — fail  to  yield  that  needed  peace  and 
rest  to  weary  spirits,  turn  to  your  nearest  and  dearest  friends — the  Shakers."  i 

About  the  year  170G,  a  type  of  religionists,  claiming  to  have  direct  com- 
munion with  the  spirit  world,  made  much  commotion  in  England.  They 
were  first  heard  of  in  France,  about  1(589,  and  as  the  outcome  from  the  revo- 

*  "Plain  Talks  Concerning  the  Shakers,"  page  20.         flbid. 
t  "Plain  Talks  concerning  the  Shakers,"  page  22. 


12  SHAKERISM     IN     ENGLAND. 

lutionists  of  Dauphine  and  Vivarais.  Some  of  the  number  passed  over  into 
England  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  began  to  preach 
their  peculiar  doctrine  to  the  populace  of  Manchester.  Their  efforts  culmi- 
nated in  most  remarkable  religious  revivals,  which  in  time  spread  over  the 
whole  continent  of  Europe.  Many  converts  to  the  new  religion  went  into 
trances  and  prophesied  that  the  end  of  all  things  was  near  at  hand  ;  and  that 
the  Scripture  prophecies,  concerning  a  "new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,"  were 
about  to  be  accomplished.  They  pi-edicted  the  sure  downfall  and  destruction 
of  all  false  systems  of  religion,  and  the  total  annihilation  of  that  anti-chris- 
tian  spirit  which  then  held  such  extensive  sway  among  the  churches. 

They  spoke  with  great  power  and  energy  of  spirit,  .warning  the  people  to 
repent  of  their  sins,  and  to  lead  new  lives,  and  to  make  themselves  ready  for 
the  "marriage  feast  of  the  Lamb,"  and  a  life  in  the  new  Jerusalem  which 
was  shortly  to  dawn  upon  them. 

The  powerful  admonitions,  coming  from  these  religious  fanatics,  had  an 
alarming  effect  upon  the  populace,  who  were  taught  that :  "When  all  the 
false  systems  of  human  invention,  all  the  deceitful  and  abominable  works  of 
man  should  be  pulled  down  and  destroyed,  there  would  be  but  one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  heart,  and  one  voice  among  mankind ;  and  that  this  would  all  be 
accomplished  by  spiritual  influence  acting  through  living  mediums."* 

As  might  be  supposed,  the  effect  of  such  preaching,  coming  to  the  ears  of 
the  established  churches  and  clergy,  aroused  a  feeling  of  disquietude  and 
alarm  among  them  which  shortly  took  the  form  of  persecution  against  the 
"fanatics,"  as  the  spiritualists  were  called.  Many  of  them  were  imprisoned 
on  trumped-up  charges,  others  banished,  but  the  seed  had  been  sown,  not  to 
be  eradicated,  and  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  the  "new  religion"  continued 
for  the  space  of  forty  years,  when  a  little  band  of  enthusiasts,  under  the  lead 
of  James  AVardley,  a  powerful  and  impressive  speaker  of  the  Quaker  denom- 
ination, and  a  resident  of  Manchester,  England,  formed  themselves  into  a 
sociefy  at  Bolton,  near  Manchester.  Jane  Wardley,  the  wife  of  James,  was 
exceedingly  gifted  as  his  assistant,  and  the  little  band  prospered,  so  that  in 
due  time,  additional  meetings  were  held  regularly  in  Manchester,  and  other 
adjoining  towns.  This  society  was  of  the  extreme  order  of  Spiritualists. 
They  "held  to  no  special  forms,  nor  adopted  any  creed,  either  as  a  rule  of 
faith,  or  as  an  order  of  worship,"  but  believed  that  God  manifested  Himself 
to  honest,  prayerful  souls,  gave  themselves  to  be  actuated  by,  led  and  guided, 
entirely  by  the  spirit  of  divinity,  moving  and  governing  their  every  action. 

In  their  religious  meetings,  silence  for  a  time  might  reign  supreme  ;  then 
as  the  spirit  of  some  departed  soul,  which,  mayhap,  had  long  before  the 
Flood  left  this  world,  sought  out  some  devout  brother  or  sister  of  that  silent 
gathering,  as  a  medium  of  communication,  through  which  to  testify  of  the 
joys  of  that  life  beyond  the  tomb,  the  chosen  one  would  be  seized  with  a  vi- 

*"Sliaker  Compendium"  3rcl  edition,  page  20. 


MOTHER     ANN     LEE.  13 

olent  trembling,  and  a  mighty  agitation  of  body  and  limbs.  Then  would 
the  spirit  be  moved  throughout  the  entire  congregation  of  worshipers  to 
such  a  degree  that  shouting,  singing,  and  leaping  for  joy,  they  would  swiftly 
pass  and  re-pass  each  other,  like  reeds  shaken  in  a  mighty  wind.  Then,  as 
if  acted  upon  by  one  all-pervading  impulse,  silence  would  fall,  like  the  still- 
ness of  death,  upon  the  worshipers,  while  the  chosen  one  would  recite,  to 
their  anxious  listeners,  the  spirit  message  of  love  or  warning. 

Such  strange  actions,  in  the  eyes  of  the  curious  and  ungodly,  were  re- 
garded with  derision,  and  very  soon  the  band  of  spirit  worshipers  were 
known  by  the  appellation  of  "Shaking  Quakers,"  or,  for  short,  "Shakers," 
which  latter  name  was  adopted  by  the  fraternity  as  their  cognomen. 


o 


CHAPTER     11. 

MOTHER    AJW     LEE. 

F  the  congregation  of  the  little  society  of  Shaking  Quakers  at  Manches- 
ter, over  which  James  and  Jane  Wardley  were  the  head,  was  a  family  of 
the  name  of  Lee.  They  were  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  as,  indeed,  were 
almost  all  the  members  of  Mr.  Wardley's  society.  The  father  of  this  fam- 
ily, John  Lee,  was  a  sturdy  blacksmith  in  Manchester,  and  followed  his  trade 
industriously.  He  had  the  reputation  of  strict  honesty  in  all  his  dealings 
with  those  who  gave  him  patronage.  He  was  a  moral  man,  and  brought  up 
his  family  of  five  sons  and  three  daughters  as  well  as  his  very  limited  cir- 
cumstances would  permit.  At  a  very  early  age,  the  children  were  ali  placed 
out  at  work  to  earn  their  pittance  to  add  to  the  scanty  income  of  the  father 
in  the  maintenance  of  the  family. 

Of  the  children,  there  was  a  daughter  by  the  name  of  Ann,  who,  in  after 
years,  made  a  most  notable  excitement  in  the  Shaker  comnmuity,  of  which 
she  became  the  head  and  front — indeed,  the  very  j'ouudation  stone  of  Ameri- 
can Shakerism. 

Ann  Lee  was  born  in  a  house  standing  in  what  is  now  known  as  Todd 
street,  in  Manchester,  on  the  29th  of  February,  1736.  She  at  first  found 
employment,  when  but  a  mere  child,  in  a  cotton  factory,  where  she  Avas 
placed  by  her  parents.  Subsequently  she  left  this  situation  for  a  position  in 
a  hat  factory,  as  a  cutter  of  hatters'  fur ;  and  still  later  on  we  find  her  as  a 
cook  in  a  hospital  in  Manchester.  In  the  several  positions  which  she  filled, 
in  childhood  and  youth,  and  at  a  more  advanced  age,  she  gave  good  satisfac- 
tion to  her  employers ;  and  to  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact,  she  is  said 
to  have  been  kind  and  complaisant. 

As  a  child,  she  was  bright,  but  lacking  in  the  refinements  of'  education, 
and   still  she  was   above  the  average   of  her  associates  in  intelligence,  not- 


14  MOTHER     ANN     LEE. 

withstauding  she  could  neither  read  iior  write.  Very  early  in  life  she  showed 
a  remaikable  religious  tendency  of  mind,  and  was  more  inclined  to  listen  to 
the  conversation  of  her  eldei's  on  that  subject  than  to  engage  in  play  with 
her  coniradfs.  At  about  the  age  of  fourteen  or  fifteen,  she  began  to  have 
more  than  a  special  interest  in  the  meetings  held  by  Mr.  Wardley,  and  she 
often  spoke  to  her  mother  of  her  "heavenly  visions,"  and  of  her  "great  trib- 
ulation of  soul"  over  the  depravity  of  human  nature  ;  and  to  such  an  extent 
was  she  possessed  of  these  expressed  experiences,  that  she  came  to  be  con- 
sidered by  her  friends  and  relatives  a  monomaniac  on  the  subject  of  religion. 

As  time  passed  on,  she  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  man  of  the 
name  of  Abraham  Stanley,  a  village  blacksmith,  towards  whom  she  became 
very  friendly.  Her  relatives  became  over-anxious  to  bring  about  a  match 
between  the  two,  with  the  idea,  that,  as  a  wife  and  mother,  she  might  be 
brought  out  of  that  extraordinary  state  of  excitation  into  which  her  mind  had 
drifted.  Expressing  freely  her  great  repugnance  to  matrimonial  alliances, 
even  to  the  extent  of  saying  that  it  was  a  carnal  sin  for  men  and  women  to 
cohabit  as  husband  and  wife  ;  that  Christ's  example  set  for  his  followers 
must  be  her  law ;  that  as  he  mortified  all  fleshly  lusts  by  rejecting  the  temp- 
tations of  Satan  and  living  the  life  of  a  celibate,  so  must  she :  therefore  they 
found  it  no  easy  task  to  bring  her  over  to  their  way  of  thinking,  notwith- 
standing she  was  ardently  importuned  by  young  Stanley,  for  whom  she  had 
great  respect,  if  not  maidenly  affection.  However,  as  the  constant  falling 
of  a  drop  of  water  makes  its  impression  on  the  hardest  stone,  so  she  found 
her  resolutions  weakening  under  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  her,  until 
at  last  she  very  reluctantly  consented  to  the  union,  and  they  were  united  in 
the  bonds  of  matrimony.  They  took  up  their  residence  in  her  fathers  house. 
In  time  four  children  were  born  to  them,  but  all  died  in  their  infancy.  Per- 
haps it  was  the  loss  of  her  children  which  often  brought  back  with  increasing 
force  the  convictions  of  her  youth  and  maidenhood.  Be  that  as  it  may,  she 
was  o^ten  noticed  as  being  under  a  great  depression  of  spirits — "a  fearful 
conviction  of  sin,"  as  she  herself  expressed  it,  and  from  which  she  could 
"obtain  no  relief  day  nor  night."  She  was  often  known  to  spend  the  entire 
night  in  "laboring  and  crying  to  God  to  open  some  way  of  salvation."* 

In  1758,  when  she  had  arrived  at  the  twenty-third  year  of  her  age,  she 
decided  to  consummate  w^hat  for  a  long  time  she  had  in  her  mind  to  do, 
which  was  to  unite  herself  with  Mr.  Wardley's  society.  At  this  date,  she 
was,  in  personal  appearance,  a  well-proportioned,  light-complexioned  wom- 
an ;  rather  stoutly  built,  but  straight  and  regular  in  form  and  features ; 
fair  of  face,  with  blue  eyes  full  of  expression ;  her  hair  brown,  of  a  light 
chestnut  hue  ;  her  glance  keen  and  penetrating ;  her  countenance  mild,  in- 
spiring   confidence    and  respect.      By  many  she  was  looked  upon  as  saintly 

*Sliaker  Compendium,  third  edition,  page  123. 


MOTHER     ANN    LEE.  15 

and  beautiful.  Physically,  she  was  the  picture  of  health ;  mentally,  she 
had  no  peer  in  the  society  into  which  she  was  baptized. 

Here,  at  last,  among  this  people,  she  found  that  rest  for  her  soul,  that 
protection  from  inclination  to  sin,  which  had  for  so  long  a  period  been  the 
burden  of  her  prayers.  She  at  oace  took  prominent  rank  in  the  society. 
Her  years  of  fasting,  her  cries  to  God  for  deliverance  from  sin,  were  as  mes- 
sengers from  heaven  of  her  experiences  which  she  related  in  her  fervent  ap- 
peals to  her  hearers  in  the  little  church  of  her  adoption.  Her  testimonies  as 
to  personal  visions,  and  the  mysteries  of  the  heavenly  world  sank  deep  into 
the  hearts  of  the  communicants  of  the  church,  opened  their  understanding, 
and  encouraged  their  faith  to  continue  in  the  work  which  they  had  begun. 
They  fully  believed  in  the  open  confession  of  every  sin  committed,  and  in 
the  taking  up  of  the  cross  against  everything  they  felt  to  be  evil. 

For  twelve  years  this  society  of  shaking  Quakers  continued  to  prosper, 
with  comparatively  little  interference  or  persecution.  But  it  was  as  the  dead 
calm  before  the  mighty  wind  which  was  so  soon  to  shake  their  superstructure 
to  the  very  foundation. 

Becoming  emboldened  by  the  apparent  security  from  interference  by  the 
populace  of  Manchester,  they  boldly  bagau  an  onslaught  upon  other  forms 
of  religion  which  they  deemed  "fraught  with  evil  and  damnable  heresies." 
They  proclaimed  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  and  that  it  was  nigh  at  hand  ; 
that  soon  would  be  experienced  the  downfall  of  antichrist,  and  the  over- 
throw of  the  abominable  creeds  of  religion  that  had  foisted  themselves  upon 
a  suffering  people. 

Their  bold  and  aggressive  warfare  against  every  feature  of  sin  was  soon 
sorely  felt  by  the  ungodly,  both  in  and  outside  of  the  churches.  Their 
meetings  excited  public  attention,  even  the  churches  and  clergy  were  stirred 
to  make  open  protest,  and  made  formal  opposition  to  the  continuance  of  tlie 
meetings.  Encouraged,  if  not  openly  sanctioned,  by  the  latter,  mobs  con- 
gregated with  the  avowed  purpose  of  suppressing  the  "heretics"  at  any  cost. 
Thus  perilous  times  fell  upon  the  "faithful,"  and  very  many  were  put  in 
jeopardy  of  their  lives. 

Ann  Lee  and  her  associates  were  frequently  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison.  On  one  occasion  she  was  forcibly  dragged  out  of  the  meeting  and 
cast  into  a  prison  in  Manchester,  and  placed  in  a  cell  so  small  that  she 
could  not  recline  at  full  length.  Here  she  was  kept  without  food  for  four- 
teen days,  and  not  once  during  that  time  was  the  door  of  her  cell  opened. 
Food  was,  however,  conveyed  to  her  by  a  lad  of  nineteen,  by  the  name  of 
James  "Whittaker,  whom  Ann  had  brought  up  from  his  boyhood.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  supplying  her  secretly  with  a  mixture  of  wine  and  milk  by  insert- 
ing the  stem  of  a  tobacco  pipe  through  the  key-hole  of  the  cell  door.  At  the 
end  of  her  term  of  imprisonment,  the  turnkey  unlocked  the  door  of  her  cell 
with  the  glad  expectation  of  finding  her  dead  from  starvation.     Judge,  then, 


16  MOTHER     ANN     LEE. 

of  his  astonishmeut  "to  see  her  depart,  looking  just  as  well  as  wheu  she 
entered."* 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  "the  dark  and  dismal  cell  became  the  illumi- 
nated abode  of  spiritual  life  and  joy,"  when  "she  saw  Jesus  Christ  in  open 
vision,  who  revealed  to  her  the  most  astounding  views  and  divine  manifesta- 
tions of  truth,  in  which  she  had  a  perfect  and  clear  insight  of  the  mj'stery 
of  iniquity,  the  root  and  foundation  of  all  human  depravity,  and  of  the  very 
act  of  transgression  committed  by  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Edeu.f 
In  this  vision  she  saw  what  "was  the  only  possible  and  effectual  remedy  and 
means  of  salvation"— the  "taking  up  of  the  complete  cross  against  the  lusts 
of  generation."  I  In  substance,  Ann's  testimony  was  that  Christ  never 
taught  that  the  system  of  matrimony  was  a  part  of  the  heavenly  abode,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  that  in  his  "Father's  house  of  many  mansions,  there  was 
neither  marrying  nor  giving  iu  marriage,"  and  that  Christ  came  to  prepare  the 
people  of  earth  for  this  blissful  abode,  and  himself  set  the  example,  in  all 
things,  which  he  would  have  them  follow.  Ann  saw  that  "in  the  old  man, 
the  first  Adam,  the  multiplier,  all  die."  For  was  it  not  in  holy  writ:  "If  ye 
live  after  the  flesh,  ye  shall  die."  But,  in  "the  new  man,  the  Christ,  the 
second  Adam,  the  celibate,  all  are  made  alive."  It  was  made  clear  to  her 
that  there  were  "two  creations,  old  and  new.  Adam,  the  first,  the  husband 
of  Eve,  inaugurated  the  old  creation,  with  marriage  and  generation  as  its  ba- 
sic law.  Jesus,  the  Christ,  inaugurated  the  new  creation,  with  virgin  purity 
and  regeneration  as  its  fundamental  law.  The  first  Adam,  a  sower  of  the 
world;   the  second  Adam,  the  reaper."  § 

On  emerging  from  the  prison,  she  imparted  to  the  society  this  revelation 
made  known  to  her  by  the  heavenly  vision,  and  the  society  accepted  it  as 
revealed  light  from  God,  and  from  that  time  forth  "acknowledged  her  as  the 
first  visible  leader  of  the  Church  of  God  upon  the  earth," ||  and  readily  ac- 
cepted her  as  their  spiritual  mother  in  Christ,  and  ever  after  was  regarded  by 
them  "as  Mother  Ann  Lee."^  In  point  of  fact,  they  considered  this  mani- 
festation as  the  actual  second  coming  of  Christ,  through  the  head  of  their 
Church,  Mother  Ann  Lee.  "Thus  they  became  one,  and  the  marriage  of 
the  Lamb  and  Bride  was  completed  by  God  himself,  and  thus  ended  the 
mystery  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ."**  And  so  the  community  of  Shak- 
ers no  more  look  for  a  second  coming  of  Christ,  because  he  has  already  ap- 
peared through  Mother  Ann. 

In  the  biographical  sketch  of  Ann  Lee  in  the  "Shaker  Compendium,"  we 

*  "Shaker  Compendium,"  third  edition,  page  133. 
t  "The  Life  and  Gospel  Experience  of  Mother  Ann  Lee,"  page  5,  and  "Shaker  Com- 
pendium," third  edition,  page  128. 
t  "Shaker  Compendium,"  third  edition,  page  128.       §  "Sketches  of  Shakerism,"  page  12. 
II  "Life  and  Gospel  Experience  of  Mother  Ann  Lee,"  page  6. 
IT  "Life  and  Gospel  Experience  of  Mother  Ann  Lee,"  page  6. 
**From  a  recently  published  sermon  preached  by  H.  L.  Eads,  bishop  of  the  Shakers  at 
South  Union,  Ky. 


EMBARKATION    FOR     AMERICA.  17 

fiud  many  instances  of  her  "miraculous  deliverance"  from  danger  and 
death.  Once,  when  seized  by  a  mob  who  were  in  the  act  of  stoning  her  to 
death,  she  received  deliverance  at  the  hands  of  a  nobleman  who  had  been 
"wrought  upon  in  his  mind,  and  urged  by  his  feelings  to  go,  but  where,  or 
for  what  cause,  he  did  not  know."*  Again,  when  in  the  hands  of  a  mob, 
who  were  seeking  to  bind  her  with  ropes,  an  invisible  power  stayed  their 
hands.  And  again,  when  she  was  accused  of  blasphemy,  and  was  told  that 
her  tongue  should  be  bored  through  with  a  hot  iron  and  her  cheek  branded, 
and  as  preliminary  to  the  proceeding  she  was  taken  before  four  ministers 
of  the  Established  Church,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  judgment  against  her, 
these  she  confounded  by  speaking,  as  they  declared,  "for  four  hours,  in 
seventy- two  different  tongues,"  which  "had  the  effect  of  causing  them  to 
advise  the  mob  not  to  molest  her."  This  so  enraged  them,  that  they  deter- 
mined to  stone  her  to  death,  "  as  a  blasphemer."  Accordingly,  to  make 
thorough  work  of  it,  they  took  Ann  and  her  brother  William,  James  and 
Daniel  Whittaker,  into  a  valley  outside  the  town,  with  that  intent.  But 
their  hands  were  withheld,  they  "could  not  hit  any  of  them,"  and  "fall- 
ing into  a  contention  among  themselves,  they  abandoned  their  wicked 
design,  t 

Ann's  last  imprisonment  in  England  was  for  "Sabbath  breaking."  The 
allegation  was,  that  "dancing,  shouting  and  shaking  in  the  worship  of  God 
on  the  Sabbath  day  was  profaning  the  Sabbath."  Spies  were  stationed  in 
the  street  near  their  place  of  meeting,  under  the  pretence  of  preventing  gath- 
erings of  the  people  who  were  profaning  the  Lord's  day.  On  that  morning, 
the  "believers"  assembled  at  the  house  of  John  Lee,  the  blacksmith  and  the 
father  of  Ann,  and  began  their  worship  as  usual.  The  spies  gave  the  alarm, 
and  a  mob  was  soon  raised,  headed  by  the  principal  Warden  in  Manchester. 
"They  surrounded  the  house,  burst  open  the  doors,  seized  without  ceremony 
the  worshipers,  and  hurried  them  away  to  the  stone  prison,  where  they 
placed  them  in  close  confinement.  The  company  were  released  the  next 
morning,  with  the  exception  of  Mother  Ann  and  John  Lee,  who  were  re- 
moved to  another  place  of  confinement  and  held  as  prisoners  for  several 
weeks."  t 


I 


CHAPTER  in. 

EMBARKATION  FOR  AMERICA— SETTLEMENT  IN  NISKEYUNA. 

N  the  spring  of  the  year  1774,  Mother  Ann  Lee  imparted  to  her  congrega- 
tion a  "special  revelation  from  heaven,"  in  which  she  was  directed  to  select 


*"Shakei'  Compendium,"  third  edition,  p.  134.        f  Ibid  P-  135. 
%  "Life  and  Gospel  Experience  of  Mother  Ann  Lee,"  pp.  6  and  7. 


18  SETTLEMENT    IN    NISKEYUNA. 

a  chosen  few  and  repair  across  the  wide  waters  to  a  people  of  God.  Her 
vision  was  of  a  hirge  tree  with  outstretching  branches,  every  leaf  of  whicli 
shone  with  the  brightness  of  a  burning  torch,  indicating  the  church  of 
Christ  yet  to  be  established  in  the  land  of  America.  Though  she  was  to  go 
as  a  stranger  to  that  far-distant  shore,  the  forms  and  features  of  some  of 
those  whom  she  was  to  meet  were  made  so  clear  to  her  that  she  declared  she 
would  recognize  them  upon  her  arrival. 

Eight  of  the  congregation  were  selected  to  accompany  Mother  Ann  on  her 
mission  to  America.  Passage  was  secured  with  Captain  Smith  on  the  ship 
Mariah,  bound  from  Liverpool  for  New  York,  and  on  the  I'Jth  of  May, 
1774,  Mother  Ann,  Abraham  Stanley,  (her  husband,)  William  Lee  (her 
brother,)  Nancy  Lee  (her  niece,)  James  Whittaker,  John  Hocknell  and  his 
son  Richard,  James  Shepherd,  and  Mary  Partington  embarked  for  America. 
Each  member  of  this  religious  band  had  previously  received  special  spiritual 
manifestations  from  the  other  world,  and  this  step  taken,  was,  as  they  claim- 
ed, solely  by  the  direction  of  spirits. 

With  the  departure  of  this  little  band,  Shakerism  soon  ceased  to  exist  in 
England,  and  was  never  afterwards  revived.  The  life  and  soul  of  the  insti- 
tution departed  with  Mother  Ann,  who  was  to  establish  in  the  new  world  a 
strange  religion,  and  found  a  society  of  Communism,  the  marvel  of  th^ 
world. 

Once  on  board  the  ship,  the  vShakers  sougiit  to  worbhip  God  after  their 
peculiar  manner  of  marching  or  dancing,  singing,  and  shaking,  which  great- 
ly displeased  Captain  Smith,  who  sought  to  repress  "such  goings  on"'  on 
board  his  ship.  P'ailing  to  suppress  by  mild  measures  what  he  regarded  as 
one  of  th,?  worst  features  of  blasphemy,  he  threatened  to  place  the  culprits  in 
irons,  and  if  that  brought  no  reform,  to  cast  them  into  the  sea.  But  the 
Shakers  knew  no  fear,  and  whenever  "moved  upon  by  the  spirit,"  tluy  went 
forth  in  song  and  dance  to  their  worship  as  usual. 

At  last  the  greatly  enraged  captain  proceeded  to  carry  out  at  least  a  part 
of  his  threat.  This  was  during  a  storm,  when  the  waves  were  running  high 
and  the  wind  blowing  a  gale ;  but  before  he  could  make  ready  to  execute  it, 
there  came  a  cry  from  below  that  the  ship  had  sprung  aleak  and  the  water 
making  rapidly  in  the  hold.  The  crew^  sprang  to  the  pumps,  which  were 
immediately  put  into  use.  Still  the  water  gained  very  fast,  and  it  looked  as 
though  all  would  be  lost.  Then  came  Mother  Ann  to  the  rescue,  proclaim- 
ing to  the  frightened  captain  and  crew  that  all  would  go  well  with  them,  for 
tAvo  angels  from  the  spirit  world  had  appeared  to  her  announcing  the  perfect 
safety  of  the  ship  and  all  on  board.  The  last  proved  true,  for  the  cause  of 
the  leak  was  ascertained  to  be  the  starting  of  a  plank,  which  was  made  se- 
cure, and  the  ship  rode  safely  into  New  York  harbor  August  6,  1774, 

About  a  year  after  the  arrival  of  the  company  in  New  York,  Abraham 
Stanley,  who  was  not  in  sympathy    with   that   measure    of    holiness   which 


SETTLEMENT    IN     NISKEYUNA.  19 

markerl  the  life  of  Mother  Ann,  and  failing  in  his  attempts  to  induce  her  to 
change  her  pronounced  views  on  the  subject  of  celibacy,  he  left  the  order  and 
took  up  with  the  society  of  another  woman,  thus  dissolving  the  marriage  ties 
that  bound  him  to  Mother  Ann. 

Until  1776,  the  Society  of  Believers  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
city,  when  in  this  year  one  of  the  Brothers,  John  Hocknell,  who  was  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  means,  made  a  purchase  of  a  section  of  land  seven 
miles  out  from  the  town  of  Albany,  in  a  wilderness  called  Niskeyuna,  but 
now  known  as  Watervliet,  N.  Y.  Here  for  about  three  years  and  a  half  the 
];elievers  lived  the  life  of  celibates  in  comparative  seclusion,  holding  every- 
thing in  common,  and  toiling  diligently  in  making  improvements  in  their 
houses  and  lands,  and  providing  a  comfortable  subsistence  for  themselves 
and  the  influx  from  the  outer  world  which  Mother  Ann  preached  would  come, 
and  they  felt  would  soon  swell  their  numbers  greatly. 

In  1779,  a  remarkable  religious  revival  commenced  in  the  adjoining  town 
of  New  Lebanon  and  adjacent  places.  Converts  proclaimed  special  gifts  of 
visions  and  made  prophecies.  The  excitement  partook  of  a  spiritualistic 
nature  ;  mediums  fell  into  trances,  from  which  they  announced  that  the  sec- 
ond coming  of  Christ  was  at  their  very  doors.  Fired  by  their  burning 
words  of  frenzy,  "Seek  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  un- 
to you !  "  proselytes  began  their  search  for  the  promised  Savior,  and  were 
led  to  visit  the  little  settlement  of  Shakers  in  the  backwoods  of  Niskeyuna 
to  see  if  the  isolated  baud  of  foreigners  gathered  there  knew  aught  of  his 
appearance.  The  party  was  made  up  of  the  middle-aged  and  veterans, 
young  men  and  maidens,  and  on  their  arrival  at  the  log  houses  in  the  wil- 
derness they  found  a  warm  reception  as  expected  guests.  Mother  Ann 
greeted  them  as  old  friends — co-laborers  with  her  in  the  cause  to  which  she 
had  devoted  her  life  and  energies.  Notwithstanding  many  of  the  young  vis- 
itors were  betrothed  to  each  other  in  marriage,  "all  of  the  company  became 
disciples  of  Ann  Lee,  and  remained  faithful  Believers  through  life."  *  They 
accepted  the  doctrine  of  celibacy  and  communism  ;  of  the  duality  of  God — 
that  he  is  both  male  and  female — for  so  "God  created  man;  in  the  likeness 
of  God  made  he  him ;  male  and  female  created  he  them,  and  called  their 
name  Adam."t  For  as  Christ  first  came  and  was  made  manifest  through 
Jesus,  a  man,  revealing  the  Father  in  Christ  and  God,  so  was  the  scheme  of 
salvation  made  perfect  by  his  second  coming  through  Ann,  revealing  the 
Mother  in  Christ  and  God.  And  so  Mother  Ann  was  regarded  as  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  second  coming  of  Christ ;  and  thus  Shakerism  became  a  fixed  in- 
stitution in  the  community,  and  the  vyry  first  of  the  communistic  societies  to 
be  established  in  America,  and  which  has  woudrously  flourished  dm-ing  its  ex- 
istence of  nearly  a  century  and  a  quarter  in  our  midst. 

*  "The  Life  and  Gospel  Experience  of  Mother  Ann  Lee,"  page  12. 
t  Genesis,  chap,  v.,  v.  1-2. 


20  WATEKVLIBT. 

The  Shakers  came  to  America  in  most  perilous  times.  The  country  was 
full  of  excitement  on  account  of  the  Stamp  acts  imposed  upon  it  by  the  British 
government.  This  culminated  the  following  year  in  the  Revolutionary  War  in 
the  struggle  for  independence.  Every  person  not  expressing  himself  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  revolutionists,  was  regarded  as  a  Tory  and  an  enemy  to  the 
country.  Naturally,  the  little  band  of  Shaker  foreigners  was  looked  upon 
with  disfavor ;  at  first,  no  doubt,  from  then-  avowed  expressions  upon  every 
occasion  against  the  sinfulness  of  w-ar,  but  later  on  fostered  from  the  fact  of 
then-  rapid  growth  in  numbers.  Soon  they  were  accused  of  being  unfriendly 
to  the  patriotic  cause,  and  were  arraigned  before  the  commissioners  at  Albany, 
who  required  them  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  This  they  refused  to  do,  on 
the  ground  that  swearing  was  contrary  to  then-  faith — "Swear  not  at  all"  was 
a  cardinal  featm'e  of  then-  religion.  Upon  this  refusal,  Da\'id  Darrow,  Joseph 
Meacham  and  John  Hocknell  were  imprisoned.  This  was  soon  followed  by 
the  incarceration  of  Hezekiah  Hammond  and  Joel  Pratt,  and  finally  by  that  of 
Mother  Ann,  Mary  Partington,  William  Lee,  James  Whittaker  and  Calvin 
Harlow.  These  comprised  the  entu-e  Board  of  Elders  and  leaders  in  the  Shak- 
er faith.  This  was  in  the  month  of  July,  1780.  Soon  after  Mother  Ann  was 
taken  from  the  prison  and  conveyed  down  the  Hudson  river,  with  the  intention 
of  banishing  her  to  the  British  army ;  but  as  this  was  found  to  be  impractica- 
ble at  that  time,  she  was  lodged  in  the  jail  at  Poughlieepsie.  In  December  of 
the  same  year  they  were  all  set  at  liberty  upon  the  order  of  the  governor  of 
New  York,  George  Clinton,  afterwards  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

The  society,  instead  of  suffering  loss  by  the  incarceration  of  the  leaders  for 
six  months,  largely  grew  in  numbers,  and  Mother  Ann  and  the  Elders  returned 
to  then*  homes  finding  then-  institution  in  a  far  more  prosperous  condition  than 
ever  before. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
WATERVLIET— PROSELYTING— DEATH  OF  MOTHER  AN'N  LEE. 

AFTER  the  release  of  the  imprisoned  Shakers  from  the  jails  at  Albany 
and  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  by  the  order  of  Governor  Clinton,  in  the 
month  of  December,  1780,  they  returned  to  their  home  in  Niskeyuna,  the 
name  of  which  place  was  not  long  after  changed  to  that  of  Watervliet. 
During  their  incarceration  they  were  daily  visited  by  kind  friends,  who  not 
only  sympathized  with  them  in  their  aflfliction  and  ministered  to  their  wants, 
but  became  deeply  interested  in  the  story  of  their  new  and  strange  religion ; 
and  so  great  was  their  interest,  that,  upon  the  release  of  the  prisoners,  they 
journeyed  with  them  to  their  little  settlement  in  the  backwoods  of  Albany, 
and  became  converts  to  the  Shaker  faith. 


WATERVLIET. 


21 


The  cramped  condittou  in  which  these  pioneers  lived  offered  no  induce- 
ment in  the  way  of  luxuri.'S — in  fact,  they  hardly  had  the  comforts  of  life, 
everything  was  of  the  simplest  and  plainest,  and  they  had  but  little  where- 
with to  share  with  those  who  sought  to  join  them.  Therefore,  all  those  who 
accepted  the  doctriil^  of  Shakerism  and  joined  forces  with  them,  were  led  to 
take  the  step  from  a  deep  feeling  of  conviction  that  God  had  revealed  Him- 
self to  them  through  his  servant.  Mother  Ann,  and  that  it  was  their  bounden 
duty  to  devote  their  lives  in  the  most  sacred  manner  to  the  preaching  of  the 
new  faith,  and  the  gathering  in  of  God's  people  for  the  millennium  and  the 
commencement  of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth,  on  the  threshold  of  which  they 
felt  they  stood.  To 
this  end,  and  with 
this  intent,  the  most 
of  the  new  converts 
parted  from  the  El- 
ders at  Niskeyuna, 
each  going  to  his 
own  home,  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of 
becoming  a  minister 
unto  himself  and  the 
community  in  which 
he  resided. 

For  the  following 
three  or  four  years 
the  tidings  of  the 
new  religion  spread 
far  and  near,  and 
very  many  embraced 
the  faith.  They  were  to  be  found  in  many  of  the  towns  in  the  States  of 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  Hampshire  and  Maine. 

At  first  the  near-by  Believers  often  visited  the  parent  society  at  Water- 
vliet,  with  the  feeling  that  by  frequent  communication  with  the  Elders  and 
Mother  Ann  their  faith  would  be  more  firmly  established,  and  themselves 
bettei-  fitted  to  meet  the  scoffers  among  the  world's  people,  who,  through 
false  reports,  were  doing  much  to  undo  the  work  of  the  faithful.  This  was 
called  "visiting  the  church,"  and  for  a  time  continued;  but,  in  1781,  Moth- 
er Ann,  with  the  Elders  at  Watervliet,  feeling  th^t  a  greater  degree  of  spir- 
itual gift  would  be  imparted  to  their  followers  if  they  were  ministered  to  in 
their  own  homes,  decided  upon  a  visitation  to  the  places  and  homes  of  the 
converts  in  New  York  State. 

They  were  much  scattered,  a  family  here  and  there,  residing  on  their  own 
homesteads,  very   many  of  them  well-to-do  farmers,  and  others  struggling 


The  Ancient  Churcli  of  ttie  Shakers  at  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 


22 


WATERVLIET. 


with  poverty,  fiudiug  it  an  almost  impossible  thing  to  make  both  ends  meet ; 
then,  again,  in  many  families  of  husband,  wife  and  children  there  was  not 
always  that  unanimity  of  feeling  towards  the  new  religion  between  the  differ- 
ent members  of  the  family  that  was  dsirable  for  happiness,  from  the  fact 
that  some  were  Believers,  others  not,  and  still  others  bitter  opposers. 

This  state  of  affairs,  conti-asted  with  the  h  ippy  family  of  united   Believers 
at  Watervliet,  soon  be- 
gan  to   show  itself  in  a  I 
desire,  not  only  on  the 
part  of  the  Elders  of  the  | 
society,  but  by  the  scat- 
tered families   them- 
selves, for  a  closer  com- 
m  union   which    would  I 
bring  a  greater  unity  ol 
purpose  and  accomplish! 

results     not    otherwise  1^ 

attainable.  Shaker    Village,  at  Watervliet,  N.  Y. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1781,  Mother  Ann,  Fathers  William  Lee, 
James  Whittaker  and  Samuel  Fitcli,  Sisters  Mary  Partington  and  Margaret 
Leeland,  left  Watervliet  with  the  intention  of  making  an  extend'  d  visitation, 
covering  the  Believers  in  the  States  of  Mass  chusetts  and  CouLecticut,  as 
well  as  those  in  New  York.  Traveling,  at  that  period,  a  distt.nc'  of  several 
hundred  miles  across  the  country  was  a  m;itter  <  f  no  small  moment  to  ac- 
co;iiplish.  In  those  days  the  lightning  express  was  horseback,  the  accoiri- 
modatiou  train  the  stage  coach,  and  the  rapid  transit  through  freight  he 
lumber  wagon  and  horse,  while  the  oxen  and  cart  made  up  the  way  freiglit, 
all  running  on  the  same  road-bed — the  mammoth  turnpikes,  built  to  make 
transportation  easy  between  the  large  towns  and  cities. 

Presumably  for  ease  and  comfort,  and  the  better  facUity  offered  for  reach- 
ing the  outlying  homes  of  some  of  the  Believers,  IMother  Ann  and  her  party 
adopted  the  "lightning  express,"  toned  down  to  the  Shaker  idea  of  propriety 
and  moderation,  commensm-ate  with  the  weighty  matter  they  had  in  hand. 
At  any  rate,  they  started  out  in  a  southerly  dh-ection,  and  were  not  long  on 
then"  journey  before  they  arrived  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  faithful,  one  Ben- 
jamin Osboru,  whose  residence  was  on  Tuckeruot  Moimtain  (now  Mt.  Wash- 
ington,) Berkshire  county,  Mass.  Here  they  were  received  with  open  arms, 
and  tarried  for  the  space  of  ten  days,  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  of 
people  on  the  Sabbath,  who  came  'in  from  the  surrounding  country  to  hear  of 
the  strange  religion  and  to  see  the  wonderful  Mother  Ann  whose  fame  had 

The  first  of  our  Illustrations  here  given,  is  that  of  the  first  church  built  in  the  town  of  New 
Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1785,  by  Father  .James  Whittaker.  The  other,  that  of  the  pres- 
ent Church  Family  in  the  little  village  of  Watervliet,  once  Niskeyuna,  the  first  settlement 
and  the  birth  place  of  modern  Shakerism  in  America. 


DEATH     OF     MOTHER     ANN     LEE.  23 

gone  out  before  her.  Ou  this  occasion  many  converts  were  gathered  into 
the  fold. 

Continuing  their  journey,  ahnost  in  a  due  easterly  direction,  they  came  in 
time  to  the  town  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  where  they  visited  David  Meacham, 
another  convert  to  Shakerism.  With  him  they  remained  about  a  week,  preach- 
ing and  teaching  their  peculiar  doctrine.  Here  they  were  threatened  with 
violence  by  the  ungodly,  but  still  were  allowed  to  pass  out  of  town  ou  their 
mission  unmolested. 

From  Enfield  they  went  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  passing  again  into  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  to  the  town  of  Grafton,  near  Worcester,  where  they 
halted  for  three  or  four  days  at  the  house  of  John  Mayuard,  after  which  they 
passed  on  eight  miles  further  to  the  house  of  Daniel  Wood,  in  Upton,  who 
was  a  brother  of  Margaret  Leeland,  one  of  the  visiting  party.  Daniel  had 
previously  embraced  the  faith  and  was  publicly  preaching  the  Shaker  re- 
ligion. With  him  they  remained  over  the  Sabbath,  when  they  went  on  to 
the  town  of  Harvard,  visiting  the  house  of  Zaccheus  Stevens,  and,  a  few  days 
later  that  of  Isaac  Willard,  and  from  there  to  the  "Square  House,"  which 
they  made  their  headquarters  for  nearly  two  years. 

From  here,  in  1791,  Mother  Ann  and  the  Elders  visited  the  town  of 
Petersham.  At  this  place  they  met  with  much  harsh  treatment,  and  were 
subjected  to  more  abuse,  Mother  Ann  subsequently  said,  than  she  ever  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  any  people.  During  the  following  year  they  visited 
Shirley,  Woburn,  Lexington,  and  several  other  places,  and  in  the  month  of 
November  of  the  same  year  went  to  Ashfield,  returning  to  Harvard  the  fol- 
lowing May,  1783.  On  the  4th  of  July  of  this  year,  .Mother  Ann  and  her 
party  began  their  return  trip  to  Watervliet,  passing  again  through  the 
town  of  Petersham,  where,  on  the  previous  occasion  they  were  given  over  to 
the  hands  of  a  mob,  but  now  were  received  with  respect.  Again  they  vis- 
ited Enfield,  Conn.,  and  from  there  passed  northward,  halting  at  the  towns 
of  Stockbridge  and  Stephentown,  Mass.,  then  over  the  line  into  the  State  of 
New  York,  tarrying  for  a  time  in  the  town  of  New  Lebanon,  and  arriving  in 
Watervliet,  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and  four  months,  on  the  4th  of 
September,  having  occupied  two  months  to  a  day  on  fheir  journey  home- 
ward. 

On  this  visitation  they  sowed  the  seed  which  took  deep  root  and  became 
the  foundation  of  the  first,  and  for  many  years  thereafter  the  only  commu- 
nistic society  in  America. 

But  the  great  importance  of  gathering  the  faithful  into  a  more  united  and 
harmonious  condition,  both  in  temporal  and  spu-itual  things,  pressed  heavily 
upon  Mother  Anu  and  the  Elders,  and  became  the  subject  of  much  prayerful 
consideration.  Upon  one  occasion  Mother  Ann  imparted  to  the  Believers  a 
vision  in  which  she  saw  them  all  advancing,  but  as  a  scattered  people,  wan- 
derers in  a  strange  land ;    suddenly  they  were  encountered  by  a  mighty  wall 


24  FATHER    JAMES     AVHITTAKER. 

which  uoue  could  scale,  aud  none  could  penetrate.  Here  they  gathered,  form- 
ing a  mighty  body,  united  with  one  mind  and  one  purpose,  when,  before  their 
astonished  gaze,  a  glmimer  of  light  appeared,  displaying  an  opening  in  the  wall 
before  them  to  which  they  had  been  previously  blind,  but  now  tlii'ough  which  they 
all  could  pass  onward  to  the  goal  of  success.  This  vision  Ann  interpreted  as 
emblematical  of  the  state  of  the  scattered  Believers,  distant  from  each  other, 
without  the  means  of  guidance  or  protection,  and  still  farther  encumbered  by 
the  fact  that  the  foes  of  a  man  are  of  his  own  household.  From  this  \'ision 
Ann  predicted  a  gathering  of  the  church,  but  was  quick  to  add,  "This  vnW  not 
be  my  work,  but  Joseph  Meacham's  Avith  others — they  will  perform  it."  From 
this  time  forth,  the  Believers  labored  towards  uniting  their  domestic  interests  in 
one  common  whole,  so  that  the  poor,  with  the  rich,  might  share  equally  in  the 
blessings  of  this  life. 

At  this  stage  in  the  progress  of  the  Society,  Father  William  Lee,  INIother 
Ann's  brother,  passed  away  in  death,  on  the  21st  of  July,  1784,  at  the  age  of 
44  yrs.  His  death  seriously  affected  the  Society,  and  was  a  sad  blow  to  Mother 
Ann,  to  whom  he  had  been  a  right  arm  of  support.  But  it  was  soon  to  be 
called  to  meet  a  still  heavier  trial  in  the  loss  of  its  beloved  founder,  who  fol- 
lowed in  the  footsteps  of  her  much  lamented  brother,  ou  the  8th  of  the  follow- 
ing September,  in  the  49  th  year  of  her  age.  Her  bodily  remains  lie  interred  in 
the  little  chm'ch  cemetery  of  the  Society  at  Watervliet,  simply  marked  by  a  plain 
marble  slab  bearing  this  inscription :  "Mo.  Ann  Lee,  born  Manchester,  Eng- 
land, February  29th,  1736.     Departed  this  life.Septr.  8th  1784." 

Uix)n  the  death  of  Mother  Ann,  Father  James  AVhittaker  succeeded  to  the 
leadership  of  the  Society,  and,  as  preliminary  to  the  gathering  in  of  the  Believ- 
ers, he  ordered,  in  the  year  1785,  that  a  house  of  public  worship  be  built  at 
New  Lebanon,  which  was  speedily  accomplished,  and  on  the  29th  of  Jauuar}^, 
1786,  was  occupied  and  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God. 


CHAPTER  v. 

FATHER  JAMES  WHITTAKER— ELDER  JOHN  HOCKlSrELL— ELDER 
JOSEPH  MEACHAM. 

IpATHER  JAMES  WHITTAKER,  who,  upon  the  death  of  Mother  Ann 
^  Lee,  on  the  8th  of  Sept.  1784,  succeeded  to  the  leadership  of  the  Society  of 
Shakers,  was  a  man  of  uncommon  ability.  He  was  born  in  Oldham,  near 
Manchester,  England,  February  28th  1751.  His  parents  were  members  of 
the  Quaker  congregation  of  James  and  Jane  Wardley,  and  of  that  number 
who  afterwards  embraced  the  Shaker  faith.  His  father,  Jonathan  Whittaker, 
was  more  than  anxious  to  accompany  Mother  Ann  and  her  party  to  America, 


FATHER    JAMES     WHITTAKER.  25 

but  the  state  of  his  health  would  not  permit  of  it,  and  he  was  one  of  those  who 
were  reluctantly  left  behind,  but  who  also  remained  steadfast  in  the  Shaker 
faith  to  the  end. 

James  Whittaker's  mother's  maiden  name  was  also  Ann  Lee,  and  probabl}' 
a  distant  relation  of  Mother  Ann,  although  the  relationship,  if  any,  has  not 
been  made  apparent  in  any  of  the  Shaker  literature.  She  probably  died 
while  James  was  a  youth,  for  we  find  him  placed  at  an  early  age  under  the 
care  of  Mother  Ann.  As  a  child,  he  evinced  a  religious  teudeucy  far  beyond 
his  3'ears.  His  testimony  in  after  life,  that  though  in  childhood  brought  up 
as  he  was  by  Mother  Ann  in  the  way  of  God,  he  knew  no  guile,  still  felt  him- 
self a  child  of  wrath,  and  cried  most  mightily  to  God  for  salvation,  is  indica- 
tive of  that  trait  of  character  found  as  a  most  prominent  feature  iu  all  the  in- 
dividuals who  were  the  founders  of  Shakerism,  and  who  are  of  that  order 
to-day.  They  were  then,  as  now,  men  and  women  endowed  with  an  extreme- 
ly emotional  uatm'e,  and  as  ardently  believed  in  the  female  Christ  in  Ann  Lee 
as  in  the  male  Christ  in  Jesus.  And  to-day  the  advocates  of  woman's  rights 
can  nowhere  find  stronger  defenders  of  the  doctrine  of  perfect  equality  of  men 
and  women  than  among  the  Shakers.  It  is  the  very  foundation  stone  of  then* 
religion,  and  upon  which  they  have  built  their  superstructure  of  Communism 
which  has  proved  such  a  remarkable  success. 

James  Whittaker  always  had  been  a  constant  companion  and  a  right  arm  of 
defense  to  Mother  Ann.  From  the  time  of  her  incarceration  in  the  Manches- 
ter jail,  when  as  a  lad  he  conveyed  food  to  her,  through  the  key-hole  of  her 
cell  door  to  save  her  from  starvation,  up  to  the  hour  of  her  departure  into  the 
land  of  sph'its  from  her  home  in  Niskeyuna,  he  never  once  disappointed  her 
by  wavering  in  the  faith ;  and  to  him,  perhaps,  more  than  to  any  other  one  of 
her  followers,  did  she  look  as  the  agent  through  which  the  Shaker  doctrine 
and  church  would  be  made  complete  after  her  demise. 

It  was  a  most  critical  hour  for  Shakerism.  It  required  men  and  women  of 
ability  and  superior  business  qualifications  to  formulate  a  church  covenant  and 
order  of  Communism  that  would  be  acceptable  to  the  Shaker  rich  in  this  world's 
goods,  as  well  as  to  the  poor  and  needy  who  were  to  profit  by  the  change. 

That  feature  of  Christianity — equality  of  wealth — which  it  was  sought  to  es- 
tablish as  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  was  not  held  iu  favor  by  the  wealthy  of  the 
world's  people.  They  most  strenuously  opposed  any  idea  of  a  reduction  iu 
their  ranks,  or  to  the  right  claimed  by  individuals  to  donate  their  entire  proper- 
ty to  such  a  "religious  craze  as  Shakerism,"  which  they  declared  to  be  "works 
of  the  de\Tl,"  and  prosecuted  by  leaders  with  selfish  motives  and  profligate 
natures,  who  would  spend  in  luxurious  living  all  the  property  within  their  con- 
trol, and  then  leave  then-  victims  to  be  supported  by  the  community  of  which 
they  had  previously  been  well-to-do  members.  Then,  again,  the  Shaker 
idea  of  celibacy  was  the  rankest  kind  of  immorality  iu  their  eyes,  aud  it  was 
not  to  be  tolerated.      "It  was  a  coat  of  the  thinnest  material  Avhich  covered 


•2C)  eldp;r   JOHN   hocknell. 

the  foulest  type  of  liceutiousuess,"  they  said,  "aud  if  permitted  to  exist,  would 
result  iu  a  second  Sodom  and  Gomorrah." 

Almost  the  entire  world's  people  were  united  to  a  man  in  the  desire  to  stamp 
out  the  new  and  strange  doctrine  of  Shakerism  at  any  cost,  and  they  hailed 
with  delight  the  news  of  the  death  of  Mother  Ann,  which  they  regarded  as  an 
interposition  of  Divine  Providence  in  thus  cutting  her  off  at  the  early  age  of 
forty-eight,  and  which  must  result  in  the  complete  oveilhi-ow  of  the  "devilish 
doctrine"  that  was  ensnaring  so  very  many  worthy  members  of  the  regularly 
established  chm'ches,  and  others  in  the  community.  So,  with  her  death  they 
soon  expected  to  see  a  breaking  up  of  the  sect  and  a  total  annihilation  of  the 
religion  that  had  gained,  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  to  suppress  it,  such  a  foot- 
hold in  their  midst.  What,  then,  was  then-  dismay  when  they  beheld  the 
measm-es  taken  to  establish  Shakerism  on  a  broader  and  more  substantial  basis 
under  the  leadership  of  James  Whittaker. 

This  was  also  a  time  of  trial  of  faith  for  the  Believers.  Hundreds  of  the 
new  converts  were  hardly  prepared  to  make  the  full  and  complete  sacrifice  of 
all  then-  worldly  possessions,  which  Shakerism  demanded  for  the  good  of  the 
multitude.  Personal  selfishness,  that  bane  which  ever  stands  in  the  way  of 
Christian  progress,  stood  as  a  menace  in  the  pathway  of  many.  But  the  lead- 
ers stood  firm.  "If  thy  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off!  If  thy  eye  offend  thee, 
pluck  it  out!"  was  then*  watchword.  No  one  was  to  be  rejected  because  of 
his  poverty,  and  no  one  refused  because  of  his  riches;  but,  one  and  all,  they 
must  prove  their  sincerity  by  gi^Tng  up  the  world  and  all  its  sensual  enjoy- 
ments, by  a  complete  sacrifice  of  every  selfish  featm'e  of  humanity  of  whatever 
name  and  nature  it  might  partake.  Thus  did  Father  James  and  his  associates 
mark  out  the  ground-plan  of  then-  religion. 

The  fh'st  discom'se  delivered  by  Father  James  in  then*  new  house  of  wor- 
ship, in  1786,  was  a  powerful  appeal  to  his  hearers  to  obey  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  that  his  blessing  might  rest  upon  them  as  the  true  people  of  Grod.  It 
was  early  made  manifest  to  the  self-recognized  Board  of  Elders  that  New 
Lebanon  would  be  the  central  home  of  the  first  chm-ch,  and  from  this  point 
must  come  the  Shaker  covenant  which  should  define  true  Shakerism  and  con- 
tain the  law  by  which  all  Shakers  must  be  governed. 

To  Elder  John  Hocknell,  the  oldest  of  all  the  Shakers,  he  who  was  noted 
far  and  near  for  his  meek  depoi'tment  and  great  generosity,  much  was  due 
the  success  they  had  so  far  achieved.  Indeed,  it  was  from  his  liberal  purse 
that  Mother  Ann  and  her  associates  were  enabled  to  cross  the  ocean  and  es- 
tablish themselves  here  iu  America.  It  was  his  generous  hand  which  pur- 
chased the  tract  of  laud  in  the  backwoods  of  Niskejnma.  It  was  from  his 
bounty  that  the  funds  were  supplied  which  built  the  first  habitations  that 
sheltered  them  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  pro^^ded  for  all  their 
temporal  wants.  In  years  he  outnumbered  Mother  Ann  by  more  than  half  a 
score,  and  was  the  senior  of  Father  James  by  eight  and  twenty  years.     It 


ELDER    JOSEPH    MEACHAM.  27 

was  his  great  liberality  aud  zeal  which  sustained  the  society  in  its  infancy ; 
his  honesty  and  uprightness  which  gave  character  to  the  order  as  they  ad- 
vanced ;  and,  now,  he  was  to  crown  the  greatest  work  of  his  life  by  giving 
to  God,  through  the  medium  of  Shakerism  his  entire  worldly  possessions, 
making  himself  by  this  act  a  living  example  of  noble  unselfishness,  which  is 
the  dominant  characteristic  of  every  Shaker.  Elder  John,  as  he  was  called, 
departed  this  life  on  the  27th  of  February,  1799,  much  lamented  by  all  who 
knew  him,  but  lived  to  see  his  magnanimous  act  a  grand  success. 

Joseph  Meacham,  another  most  worthy  member  of  the  Shakers,  and  one  of 
the  first  in  America  to  accept  of  the  new  and  strange  religion,  was  a  prominent 
Elder  in  the  fi'aternity.  Previous  to  his  uniting  with  the  Shakers,  he  was  a  min- 
ister in  the  Baptist  denomination  in  his  native  town  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  where 
he  was  distinguished  for  his  private  virtues  and  exemplary  life.  He  was  en- 
dowed with  superior  natural  ability,  with  a  sound,  philosophical  and  practi- 
cal tm-u  of  mind,  and  withal  possessed  a  spiritual  nature  which  well  fitted  hmi 
for  a  leader. 

Nearly  the  whole  talent  of  the  church  was  concentrated  at  New  Lebanon  un- 
til about  the  middle  of  January,  1787,  when  by  advice  of  the  Elders,  Father 
James  prepared  for  an  extended  visitation  into  Connecticut  and  ^lassachusetts, 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Society  in  the  various  sections  of  those  States 
where  Shakerism  had  gained  a  foothold. 

His  first  visit  was  to  Enfield,  Conn.,  where  he  tarried  for  a  short  time,  pass- 
ing from  there  to  the  Believers  in  Harvard,  Shirley,  Woburn  and  other  places, 
returning  to  Enfield  in  the  month  of  March  of  the  same  year.  In  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  arduous  labors,  he  contracted  a  severe  cold,  which  terminated  in  his 
death  on  the  20th  of  July,  in  the  thuty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Thus  passed 
away  another  faithful  minister  of  Christ,  who  brought  the  gospel  of  vShakerism 
to  this  land.     His  death  was  keenly  felt  by  every  Shaker. 

Father  James  was  succeeded  in  the  Ministry  by  Elder  Joseph  Meacham,  who 
ever  after  was  known  as  Father  Joseph,  aud  considered  by  the  Believers  as  hav- 
ing a  gift  of  Divine  revelation  deeper  than  that  of  any  other  preceding  Shaker, 
with  the  exception  of  Mother  Ann.  To  him  are  ascribed  many  of  the  peculiar 
devotional  exercises  originating  from  the  spirit  world  under  whose  guidance  he 
also  laid  the  foundation  of  the  temporal  economy  of  the  Shakers.  He  was  un- 
hesitatingly received  by  every  Shaker  as  the  authoritative  means  of  communi- 
cation through  whom  Mother  Ann  and  the  other  spirits  of  departed  Shakers, 
and  even  Christ  himself,  made  known  to  those  on  earth  who  remained  stead- 
fast in  the  faith,  the  way  of  salvation.  His  was  the  master-hand  in  all  of  the 
spiritual  manifestations  which  occurred  in  New  Lebanon  aud  vicinity  sixty  years 
and  more  before  the  name  of  the  Fox  sisters  was  heard  in  connection  with  mod- 
ern Spnitualism  in  Rochester,  aud  the  events  which  characterized  their  perform- 
ances as  wonderful,  hardly  approached,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the  spuit  mani- 
festations of  Father  Joseph,  the  Shaker,  aud  his  associates. 


28 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JOSEPH    MEACHAM    AS    LEADEE— VISIT  OF     GEN.    LAFAYETTE. 

PREVIOUS  to  the  succession  of  Father  Joseph  Meacham  to  the  leadership 
of  the  Shakers,  in  1787,  there  had  been  no  regular  organization  of  the  fra- 
ternity. From  the  very  outset.  Mother  Ann  had  been  recognized  by  them  as 
the  divinely-inspked  leader  and  originator  of  Shakerism,  inasmuch  as  by  her 
the  second  coming  of  Chi'ist  had  been  accomplished  and  made  manifest  to  a 
suffering  world.  Therefore  her  word  was  regarded  by  every  Believer  as  the 
law.  She  designated,  as  Ministers  and  Elders,  those  of  the  most  spiritually- 
minded  and  nearest  to  her  as  associates  in  her  great  work.  The  order  itself 
had  become  to  be  known  as  a  Ministry.  Naturally,  Mother  Ann  appointed  her 
apostles  as  did  Christ  his,  and  named  her  successor  in  the  leadership,  and  they 
regarded  him  as  possessed  of  the  office  by  divine  authority,  which  he  assumed. 
They  also  recognized  that  her  Successor  was  empowered  with  all  the  rights  and 
privileges  so  reverentlj'  accorded  to  jNIother  Ann,  and  from  that  day  to  the 
present  tune  this  administration  of  parental  authority  has  been  perpetuated. 

The  great  importance  of  gathering  in  the  converts  into  a  closer  relationship 
with  the  fountain-head,  had  been  felt  sometmie  before  the  death  of  Mother 
Ann,  and  after  her  death  Father  James  sought  to  bring  this  union  about  by 
casting  out  all  sin  and  selfishness  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  change  which 
must  come.  But  the  administrative  genius  of  the  Believers  was  Father  Joseph 
Meacham.  Upon  his  succession  to  the  leadership,  on  the  death  of  Father 
James,  his  head  and  hand  made  rapid  progress  in  that  du-ection.  His  won- 
derful ability  for  organization  was  displayed  b}^  establishing  Shakerism  on  a 
most  endm-ing  basis.  Dming  his  potential  career,  he  formulated  a  plan  of 
gathering  the  Shakers  into  a  body  religious,  not  a  body  politic,  or  a  body 
corporate,  because  it  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  the  institution 
to  be  styled  as  of  a  secular  nature.  Then-  real  and  personal  estate  could  not 
be  treated  as  a  joint  tenancy,  nor  a  tenancy  in  common,  therefore  it  was 
made  a  consecration — a  consecrated  ivhole. 

Again,  officers  of  corporate  bodies  must  be  chosen  or  elected  by  a  vote  of 
the  members  thereof ;  thek  term  of  office  limited  by  law ;  then-  powers  and 
duties  defined  by  law.  Not  so  with  Shakerism,  they  did  not  receive  the  forms 
or  principles  of  their  institution  from  civil  and  poKtical  governments,  but  from 
what  they  regard  as  Divine  authority.  Therefore  "the  Shaker  Society,  as 
such,  can  never  connect  itself  with  the  world ;   from  this  it  must  ever  remain 


PETER    AYERS.  29 

iu  isolation."*  They  "do  not  and  can  not  bold  property  as  a  community  es- 
tate, whether  real  or  personal.  The  property  held  in  trust  by  them  is  all  con- 
secrated to  God,  and  religious  and  charitable  purposes."!  Shakers  do  "ask 
governmental  protection  in  the  arrangement  of  a  perpetuity  and  entailment  of 
real  and  personal  estate  to  the  Shaker  covenantal  consecration  and  institu- 
tion, on  the  ground  that  the  whole  estate  is  a  consecrated  possession,  sacred 
alone  to  religious  and  charitable  purposes,  judged  of  by  the  religious  constitu- 
tion of  Christianity  as  understood  by  the  true  followers  of  Christ. "| 

"With  one  accord  the  people  gathered  to  the  new  home.  They  came  out 
from  the  relations  of  the  world,  sold  their  possessions,  dedicated  their  souls  to 
God,  and  gave  up  all  they  possessed  to  the  gospel  work.  No  higher  incentive 
could  inspire  the  minds  of  men.  In  this  they  were  laying  down  their  lives  for 
then'  friends,  and  yet  the  foundation  remains  sure."  In  what  follows  of  these 
editorial  remarks  which  are  found  in  the  Manifesto  for  October,  188LI,  the 
Editor  hits  the  nail  squarely  on  the  head  when  he  says  :  '  'Those  of  the  p  resent 
day  who  build,  must  stand  on  the  same  foundation  and  l)uild  with  material 
equally  as  pure  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  iu  the  same  spirit  of  consecration,  if 
they  think  to  acquire  a  corresponding  success  in  this  world.  An  amalgama- 
tion of  the  two  orders  can  never  work  satisfactorily.  'No  man  can  serve  two 
masters.'  The  old  inheritance  with  its  mutual  associations,  the  customs  and 
practices  of  the  children  of  this  world,  can  not  otherwise  than  result  in  a 
failure,  to  an  individual,  to  a  family,  or  to  a  community." 

Those  who  are  deceiving  themselves  with  the  idea  that  society  is  to  be 
transformed  into  a  governmental,  political  communism  which  is  to  bring  peace, 
contentment  and  joy  to  a  suffering  humanity,  will  do  well  to  ponder  on  these 
words  of  wisdom. 

As  illustrative  of  the  consecrations  made  by  the  Believers,  the  following 
is  the  contents  of  a  quaint  document  bearing  the  signature  of  Peter  Ayers, 
and  executed  by  him  in  his  own  handwriting  on  the  10th  of  May,  1787  : 

"One  horse,  one  wagon,  one  lot  of  tackling,  two  cows,  one  two-year  old 
heifer,  27  sheep,  25  pounds  of  wool,  one  chaise,  60  pounds  of  flax,  130 
pounds  of  tobacco,  one  axe,  one  saddle,  one  sleigh,  oue  padlock,  one  pound 
worth  of  pork,  14  bushels  of  potatoes,  one  bed  and  bedding,  65  bushels  of 
wheat,  16  bushels  of  rye,  4  bushels  of  corn,  2  sickles,  4  turkeys,  11  liens, 
one  pair  of  plough  ii'ons,  2  chains,  four  dollars  worth  of  fur,  and  16  dollars 
in  money."  Closing  with  these  words:  "The  above-mentioned  account  is 
what  I  brought  with  me  when  1  came  to  the  church.  "§ 

Peter  was  of  German  descent,  and  as  a  volunteer  had  entered  the  army  in 
the  struggle  for  Independence,  and  was  present  on  the  surrender-  of  General 
Burgoyne  at  Bemus  Heights,  October  16,  1777.  He  was  but  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  he  first  heard  of  Mother  Ann  and  the  Elders,  and  it  was  in  the 
month  of  May,  1780,  that  he  concluded    to  make   a  visit  to  Niskeyuna  and 

*  Shaker  Manifesto  for  December,  1882,  p.  266.    fiiid.    llbid. 
§  Shaker  Manifesto  for  October,  1882,  p.  219. 


30  GENERAL     LAFAYETTE. 

learn  for  himself  what  this  uew  and  strange  religion  meant.  He  said  his 
visit  was  largely  one  of  curiosity,  as  he  understood  that  they  were  a  pecu- 
liar and  much  deluded  people.  Not  feeling  quite  sure  about  the  potency  of 
the  vagaries  and  enchantments  which  might  beset  him  before  his  return,  he 
decided  to  supply  himself  with  home-made  food,  in  oi'der  to  guard  against 
any  spell  that  might  result  from  partaking  of  the  hospitality  of  the  Shakers, 
should  it  be  offered  him.  However,  he  arrived  safely  at  his  destination  and 
found  a  cheerful  welcome,  and  the  first  half  day  passed  in  a  social  inter- 
course on  matters  of  common  interest  with  several  of  the  Brethren,  so  that 
the  noon-hour  arrived  before  Peter  hardly  realized  that  it  was  approaching. 
He  received  an  invitation  from  Elder  John  Hocknell  to  dine  with  them,  when 
he  met  with  the  remark  from  Mother  Ann :  "Nay,  we  will  let  our  brother 
Peter  eat  the  food  which  he  has  brought  with  him,  as  he  prefers  to  do  that 
rather  than  to  dine  with  us."  Poor  Peter!  this  was  like  a  thunder-clap  out 
of  a  clear  sky.  How  did  Mother  Ann  know  his  thoughts?  How  did  she  find 
out  what  he  had  been  so  very  careful  to  conceal?  Verily,  her  powers  of  en- 
chantment were  about  to  enthrall  him ;  but  when  Elder  John  said  to  him  very 
solemnly:  "Young  man,  you  ought  this  day  to  confess  your  sins  and  live  a 
new  life  !"  supplemented  by  the  words  of  Mother  Ann  :  "Yea,  but  let  Peter 
go  home  to  his  parents,  and  have  time  to  labor  in  his  mind,  then  he  can  come 
again,"  he  was  only  too  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  make  his  escape.  How- 
ever, when  once  well  out  from  under  the  immediate  influence  of  the  spell,  he 
found  Mother  Ann's  words  coming  true,  for  he  began  "to  labor  in  his  mind," 
and  to  feel  a  desire  to  return  for  more  light  on  a  subject  which  began  to  in- 
terest him  greatly.  Peter  subsequently  made  several  visitations  to  the  Shak- 
ers, and  a  short  time  after  embraced  the  faith,  but  continued  to  reside  at 
home  with  his  parents  for  nearly  eight  years,  when  he  made  his  home  at 
New  Lebanon  until  1792.  This  year  he  went  with  Elder  Job  Bishop  to 
Canterbury,  N.  H.,  to  organize  a  society  there,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days,  dying  an  honored  member  of  the  Shaker  fraternity  in  1857, 
at  the  good  old  age  of  ninety- seven  years  and  two  days. 

Another  instance  of  the  peculiarity  of  Shakerism  is  found  in  an  incident 
occurring  to  General  Marquis  de  Lafayette.  Upon  one  occasion  when  in 
the  service  of  Gen.  Washington,  on  a  mission  to  Albany  to  negotiate  with 
the  Indians  to  secure  their  aid  against  the  British,  hearing  about  the  Shakers, 
he  visited  them  at  Niskeyuna.  In  company  with  another  officer  in  regimen- 
tal dress  he  entered  very  quietly  the  building  where  one  of  their  devotional 
meetings  was  in  progress.  The  one  among  the  brethren  most  eccentrically 
exercised,  "was  Abijah  Worster.  His  outward  manifestations  were  of  a 
very  curious  type.  He  was  under  a  spell  of  singular,  vio'^lent  agitations  ; 
jerking,  shaking,  and  suddenly  twisting  in  convulsions  in  a  most  remarka- 
ble manner.  Lafayette's  tall  and  manly  form  arose  in  the  seat  he  occupied 
near  the  door,  and  he  passed  down  directly  to  the  front  of  the  congregation 


SHAKER    PUBLICATIONS.  31 

aud  seated  himself  by  Abijah's  side  aud  fastened  his  eyes  upon  him  most  in- 
tently, and  as  Abijah  felt  moved  upon  by  the  spirits  to  go  into  convulsions, 
Lafayette  would  reach  out  his  arm  and  lay  his  hand  upon  the  subject  under 
agitation.  This  disconcerted  Abijah  not  a  little,  and  he  began  to  feel  the 
presence  of  the  distinguished  visitor  with  some  alarm.  Finally,  with  much 
effort,  he  gasped,  "You  seem  desirous  of  obtaining  this  power."  But  the 
reply  he  received,  in  a  calm,  clear  voice,  "It  is  desirable,"  so  worked  upon 
Abijah,  that  he  suddenly  arose  and  ran  out  of  the  door,  folloAved  as  sudden- 
ly by  the  General  who  kept  close  by  his  side.  To  break  the  connection, 
Abijah  hurried  to  the  barn,  but  with  his  silent  investigator  close  upon  his 
heels.  To  make  a  show  that  he  had  business  there,  Abijah  seized  a  broom 
and  commenced  a  most  vigorous  sweeping  of  the  floor,  but  there  stood  his 
inquisitorial  friend  waiting  patiently  to  see  what  the  next  move  would  be. 
Abijah,  in  dismay,  started  for  the  house ;  as  quickly  in  his  footsteps  was  he 
who  stuck  to  him  closer  than  a  brother.  Almost  vanquished,  Abijah  lifted 
the  hatchway  and  rushed  into  the  cellar ;  but  lo  !  Lafayette  was  there  also. 
In  great  confusion,  Abijah  rallied  for  one  more  effort,  and  grasping  a  rude 
ladder  started  to  ascend  to  the  floor  above,  but  close  upon  the  rounds  was 
the  unrelenting  Lafayette,  with  a  determination  to  learn  what  power  ov  im- 
pulse controlled  the  man  who  was  possessed  with  such  strange  actions.  The 
opening  in  the  floor  led  to  the  room  in  wl>ich  were  assembled  Mother  Ann 
and  the  Elders.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  Lafayette  found  voic?  enough  to 
eagerly  ask  of  them  what  manner  of  man  he  had  encountered,  aud  what  was 
the  nature  of  4iis  malady?  He  was  informed  that  it  was  wholly  of  a  relig- 
ious type,  and  that  such  dwelt  among  them.  The  tenet  of  their  religion  was 
then  explained  to  him,  when  he  inquired  to  know  why  he  could  not  share  in 
it  as  well  as  others ;  but  Mother  Ann  inf(jrmed  him  that  his  mission  was  of 
the  world,  and  on  the  great  earth  plane  before  him ;  that  in  the  soldier-life 
which  he  had  chosen,  he  had  a  work  to  do  of  vast  importance,  as  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  patriotic  arms  that  of  the  freedom  of  the  populace  depended. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SHAKER  PUBLICATIONS— THE  NINE  CARDINAL  VIRTUES  OF 
SHAKERISM— COVENANT— WOMAN'S   RIGHTS. 

THE  doctrine  of  Shskkerism,  as  expounded  by  Father  Joseph  ^leacham,  and 
upon  which  he  founded  the  organization  of  that  Communal  Society  iu  New 
Lebanon,  in  1787,  is  set  forth  in  a  work  entitled  "Christ's  Second  Appearing," 
by  the  United  Society  of  Shakers,  the  first  edition  of  which  was  published  in 
1808,  at  Lebanon,  Warren  County,  Ohio.  This  was  the  first  publication 
ever  made  by  the  society,  and  the  only  authentic  work  setting  forth  the  tenets 


32  CARDINAL    VIRTUES. 

of  their  religioD.  The  only  other  publicatious  previous  to  this,  which  had  in 
a  measure  received  tlie  approbation  of  the  Shakeis,  were  "A  Concise  State- 
ment of  the  Principles  of  the  only  true  Church,"  wliich  was  but  a  small  pam- 
phlet, written  by  special  request  to  a  di  af  man,  and  printed  at  Bennington, 
Vt.,  in  the  3'ear  1790;  and  a  pamphlet  published  in  1797,  bearing  the  title 
of  "The  Kentucky  Revival." 

A  revised  edition  of  "Christ's  Second  Appearing"  was  published  at  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  in  1810;  also  a  third  edition,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  the  year 
1823  ;  and  still  a  fourth  edition,  iu  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1854. 

A  copy  of  the  book  was  sent  to  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  afterwards  in- 
formed the  Shakers,  for  whom  he  had  great  respect :  "I  have  read  it  through 
three  times,  and  I  pronounce  it  the  best  church  history  that  was  ever  written, 
and  if  its  exegesis  of  Christian  principles  is  maintained  and  sustained  by  a 
practical  life,  it  is  destined,  eventually,  to  overthrow  all  other  religions." 

The  argument  advanced  as  convincing  proof  of  the  correctness  of  the 
Shaker  position  on  theology  is  too  lengthy  to  be  incorporated  in  this  paper ; 
besides,  our  investigations  must  be  confined  to  the  line  of  the  historical  and 
communistic  feature  of  the  order.  Therefore,  to  all  who  may  desire  a  full 
and  complete  knowledge  of  Shakerism,  we  advise  a  reading  of  "Christ's 
Second  Appearing,"  which  quite  likely  may  be  found  in  most  of  the  public 
libraries ;  if  not,  it  can  be  procured  by  communicating  with  any  of  the  Shak- 
er societies. 

Great  difficulty  will  be  found  in  the  attempt  to  separate  the  civil  from  the 
religious  feature  in  Shakerism,  for  they  go  hand  in  hand,  and  are  insepara- 
ble ;  indeed,  were  it  not  for  the  religious  ■  element,  the  communistic  feature 
would  prove  a  failure,  as  have  all  other  attempts  in  this  direction  which  have 
neglected  to  eliminate  selfishness,  root  and  branch,  and  which  has  proved  to 
be  the  great  stumbling-stone  in  the  pathway  of  success. 

The  nine  cardinal  virtues  of  Shakerism  are  : 

1st.  Purity  in  mind  and  body — a  virgin  life. 

2d.   Honesty  and  integrity  of  purpose  in  all  words  r.ud  transactions. 

3d.  Humanity  and  kindness  to  both  friend  and  foe. 

4:th.  Diligence  iu  business,  thus  serving  the  Lord.  Labor  for  all,  accord- 
ing to  strength  and  ability,  genius  and  circumstances.  Industrious,  yet  not 
slavish ;   that  all  may  be  busy,  peaceable  and  happy. 

5th.  Prudence  and  economy,  temperance  and  frugality,  without  parsimony. 

6th.  Absolute  freedom  from  debt,  owing  no  man  anything  but  love  and 
good-will. 

7th.  Education  of  children  in  scriptural,  secular,  and  scientific  knowledge. 

8th.  A  united  interest  in  all  things — more  comprehensive  than  the  selfish 
relations  of  husband,  wife,  and  children — the  mutual  love  and  unity  of  kin- 
dred spirits,  the  greatest  and  best  demonstration  of  practical  love. 

9th.  Ample  provision  for  all  in  health,   sickness  and  old  age ;  a  perfect 


COVENANT.  33 

equality — one  household,   one   faith,   practicing  every  virtue,   shunning  all 
vice." 

With  this  as  the  fundamental  ground-work  of  Shakerism,  the  converts 
who  sought  to  join  the  order  were  required,  as  an  evidence  of  their  sincerity, 
to  pay  all  of  their  just  debts,  and  to  discharge  all  legal  obligations  resting 
upon  them,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  make  restitution  for  all  the  wrong 
committed  by  themselves  against  any  of  their  fellow-creatures. 

Under  Father  Joseph  Meacham,  the  Shaker  Society  was  divided  into  dif- 
ferent orders,  or  classes.  The  first,  or  non-communal  class,  were  those  who 
received  faith  and  came  into  a  degree  of  relation  with  the  Society,  but  chose 
to  live  in  their .  own  families  and  manage  their  own  temporal  concerns. 
They  were  to  be  regai'ded  as  Brethren  and  Sisters  in  the  gospel,  so  long  as 
they  lived  up  to  its  requirements.  Members  of  this  class  were  not  to  be 
controlled  by  the  Society,  with  regard  to  either  their  property,  families  or 
children.  They  could  act  as  freely  in  all  of  these  respects  as  did  the  mem- 
bers of  any  other  religious  society.  Such  persons  were  admitted  to  all  the 
privileges  of  religious  worship  and  spiritual  communion  belonging  to  this 
order,  and  also  received  instruction  and  counsel,  according  to  their  needs, 
whenever  they  expressed  a  desire  for  it,  not  being  debarred  from  any  privi- 
lege, by  reason  of  their  location,  so  far  as  circumstances  would  admit ;  and 
they  might  retain  their  union  with  the  Society  provided  they  did  not  violate 
the  faith  and  the  moral  and  religious  principles  of  the  institution.  They 
were,  however,  requested  always  to  bear  in  mind  the  necessity  and  impor- 
tance of  a  spiritual  increase,  which  would  ultimately  bring  them  within  the 
fold  of  the  Church  Family— the  highest  in  the  order  of  Shakerism — and 
without  which  they  would  ever  be  exposed  to  the  temptation  of  falling  back 
again  into  the  world. 

The  comnmnal  body  of  Shakers,  or  Shakerism  proper,  was  divided  into 
three  classes,  called  Families.  The  first,  or  Novitiate  Family,  located  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  Church  Family,  and  composed  of  all  the  probationa- 
ry members,  being  under  the  special  care,  direction  and  instruction  of  four 
of  the  Elders  of  the  Church  Family,  two  of  each  sex,  called  Novitiate  El- 
ders. Here  the  novitiate  was  fitted  and  prepared  for  advancement  in  Shak- 
erism at  the  will  of  the  candidate,  or  they  were  at  full  liberty  to  return  to  the 
world,  if,  after  a  full  understanding  of  the  requirements  of  the  order,  they 
did  not  find  themselves  in  full  sympathy  therewith. 

If  the  candidate  was  bound  by  the  ties  of  matrimony  to  an  unbelieving 
partner,  he  was  refused  admission,  unless  a  separation  was  the  mutual  deske 
of  both  husband  and  wife,  or  a  legal  separation  accomplished  under  the  civil 
laws  of  the  land.  And  under  such  circumstances,  if  the  convert  was  the 
husband,  he  must,  before  admission  would  be  granted,  convey  to  his  wife, 
a  just  share  of  all  his  possessions. 

The  following  is  the  Novitiate  Covenant  which  all  were  then,  as  they  are 


34  COVEXAXT. 

now,  required  to  sign  who  present  themselves  us  candidates  for  this  order : — 

WJiereas,  I,  the  undersigned,  have  this  day  attached  myself  as  probationary  mem- 
ber to  the  United  Society  of  Believers  at ,  and  it  being  my  desire  to  live  with 

said  Society  according  to  the  known  faith  and  customs  thereof,  that  I  may  receive 
the  benefits  arising  from  the  observance  of  the  rules,  regulations,  moral,  and  relig 
ious  instructions  of  the  same :  Therefore,  agreeably  to  the  custom  of  said  Society, 
I  hereby  covenant,  promise  and  agree,  that  I  will  never  prefer  any  account,  claim 
nor  demand  against  the  said  Society,  or  any  member  or  members  thereof,  for  the 
USE  of  any  money  or  property  brought  into  said  Society,  nor  for  any  labor  or  ser- 
vice which  I  may  perform  or  render  while  residing  in  the  same,  over  and  above 
what  I  may  receive  in  food,  clothing,  washing  and  other  necessary  support:  And, 
whereas,  it  is  further  mutually  understood  and  agreed  that  I  shall  be  free  to  with- 
draw from  said  Society  whenever  I  am  dissatisfied  therewith,  and  that  after  suffi- 
cient and  timely  notice  shall  have  been  given  by  me  I  shall  receive  all  the  money 
and  other  property  which  I  brought  into  said  Society,  or  their  value  at  the  time  it 
was  brought  in :  Therefore,  I  further  agree  and  promise  that  so  long  as  I  am  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  the  benefits  and  privileges  of  said  Society  I  will  faithfully  conform 
to  tlie  rules  thereof,  and  will  not  find  fault  with  the  said  rules,  requirements,  regu- 
lations, worship  nor  teachings,  by  acting  or  speaking  against  the  same  so  as  to  cre- 
ate dissatisfaction,  disunion,  or  inharmony  in  the  family;  provided  this  shall  not  be 
so  construed  as  to  prevent  a  free  and  respectful  inquiry  of  t'le  leading  authority 
into  the  reasons  of  said  rules  and  regulations;  and  if  I  sliall  fail  to  comply  with  tliis 
agreement  such  failure  shall  be  deemed  suftlcient  cause  for  loss  of  membership 
with  said  Society,  and  upon  being  desired  so  to  do  by  the  leading  authority  of  the 
family  in  which  I  reside,  will  peaceably  Avithdraw  from  tlie  same, 
VV^itness  my  hand  the day  of A.  D.  18     . 

(Signed.) 
Attest. 

The  second,  or  Junior  Family,  is  composed  of  those  who  have  come  into 
the  order  under  the  same  covenant  as  the  Novitiate,  but  untrammeled  by  the 
embarrassments  of  those  of  the  matrimonial  class  and  are  thus  enabled  to 
devote  themselves  more  freely  to  the  furtherance  of  spirituality  in  their  own 
lives,  and,  in  consequence,  receive  greater  enjoyment  which  comes  from  the 
feeling  that  they  are  one  step  further  advanced  toward  perfect  Shakerism. 
In  this  order,  as  well  as  in  the  Novitiate,  all  are  amply  provided  for  in 
health,  sickness  and  old  age  ;  also,  they  may  retain  the  lawful  ownership  of 
all  their  property  as  long  as  they  may  desire ;  or  they  may  donate  the  use  of 
any  part,  or  all,  of  their  property  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  the  family  with 
which  they  are  connected,  and  the  property  itself  may  be  resumed  at  any 
time;  or  they  may  dedicate  a  part,  or  the  whole,  and  consecrate  it  forever  to 
the  support  of  the  institution. 

The  third,  or  Senior  Family,  denominated  as  the  Church,  is  composed   of 


women's  eights.  35 

all  those  who  have  had  sufficient  time  and  opportunity  to  practically  prove 
the  faith  of  Shakerism,  and  are  prepared  to  enter  freely,  fully  and  volunta- 
rily into  a  united  and  consecrated  interest.  These  covenant  and  agree  to  de- 
vote themselves  and  all  they  possess  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  support 
of  the  gospel,  forever;  solemnly  promising  never  to  bring  debt  or  damage, 
claim  or  demand,  against  the  Society,  or  any  member  thereof,  for  any  prop- 
erty or  service  they  may  have  devoted  to  the  use  and  purpose  of  the  institu- 
tion. And  to  the  credit  of  Shakerism,  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  durhig  a 
period  of  more  than  one  hundred  years,  since  the  permanent  establishment 
of  the  Society  at  New  Lebanon,  there  has  never  been  a  legal  claim  entered 
by  any  person  for  the  recovery  of  property  brought  into  the  Society,  neither 
has  any  person,  peaceably  withdrawing,  ever  been  sent  away  empty-handed. 

To  enter  this  order  of  perfect  Christianity  is  the  aim  and  end  of  every  true 
convert  to  Shakerism ;  and  it  is  claimed  to  be  by  those  who  are  participants 
in  its  blessings,  as  the  Millennium — the  thousand  years  reign  on  earth  of  the 
saints.  They  "testify  that  this  manner  of  life  is  as  much  superior  to  the 
life  of  the  world,  as  the  heavenly '  is  above  the  earthly ;  that  they  can  not 
portray  the  inner  feelings  of  joy  and  soul  satisfaction  of  an  approving  con- 
science, and  a  life  untarnished  with  fleshly  lusts ;  that  the  great  uprising  of 
woman's  claims  in  this  day  are  all  converging  to  this  life  of  virgin  purity, 
where  all  the  higher  demands  of  her  being  will  be  satisfied  in  Shaker  organ- 
izations of  Christian  communism  ;  that  they  who  feel  called  to  live  after  the 
manner  of  the  angels,  in  heaven,  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage  ; 
ask  that  those  who  have  been  led  to  believe  that  they  are  following  Jesus, 
and  living  Christian  lives  in  the  practice  of  those  things  in  which  he  never 
engaged,  should  now  see  their  mistakes,  turn  from  the  error  of  their  ways, 
and  through  repentance  and  tribulation  of  soul,  enter  into  the  work  of  re- 
generation."* 

From  the  pages  of  the    "Shaker  Compendium"  we  glean  the  following  : — 

The  members  of  the  Church  Family  are  all  entitled  to  equal  benefits  and 
privileges,  and  no  difference  is  ever  made  on  account  of  the  property  any  in- 
dividual may  have  contributed. 

Well  defined,  fixed  principles  which  are  perfectly  understood  and  cordially 
received  by  all  of  the  members,  constitute  the  foundation  of  the  Shaker 
government. 

The  rulers  are  but  the  executive  of  these  principles,  and  the  laws  deduced 
therefrom;  and  they  seek  to  bring  the  principles,  so  approved,  to  bear  upon 
the  consciences  and  affections  of  the  ruled.  And  it  is  to  accomplish  this 
end  that  the  male  and  female  elements  are  eqxially  balanced  in  the  govern- 
ment ;  the  former  appealing  more  especially  to  the  rational  faculty  in  hu- 
man nature ;  the  latter  to  the  affectional. 

The  Ministry  is  the  central  executive  of    the  whole  order,  and  consists  of 

*  "Plain  Talks  concerning  the  Shakers,"  page  23. 


36  MOUNT    LEBANON. 

two  Brethren  and  two  Sisters ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  eveiy  regularly  or- 
ganized family  in  a  Society,  has  two  Elder  Brethren  and  two  Elder  Sisters, 
who  have  charge  of  the  spiritual  affairs  ;  also  two  deacons  and  two  deacon- 
esses, who  have  the  care  of  the  temp'bral  business ;  all  other  positions  of 
care  and  trust  are  filled  after  the  same  dual  order. 

The  utmost  deference  and  respect  is  shown  the  opposite  sex,  in  every  de- 
partment of  the  order,  and  this  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Shaker  Brethren. 
Therefore,  here,  if  nowhere  else,  the  most  zealous  advocate  of  "woman's 
rights"  should  find  the  practical  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  equality  of 
the  sexes. 

The  Shaker  deems  it  marvelously  inconsistent  for  any  human  government 
to  be  administered  for  the  sole  benefit  of  the  political  party  in  power ;  or 
that  more  than  one  half  of  the  citizens  should  be  disfranchised  because  they 
happen  to  be  women,  and  compelled  to  obey  laws  they  never  sanctioned,  and 
often  in  which  they  have  no  faith,  and  obliged  to  submit  to  taxation  in  which 
they  have  had  no  voice ;  but  that  the  climax  of  inconsistency  is  reached 
when  Brethren  and  Sisters,  members  of  the  same  religious  body,  are  divided 
into  the  rich  and  poor  in  the  things  of  this  temporal  world,  but  who  are 
vainly  expecting  that  in  the  world  to  come,  they  shall  be  willing  to  have 
eternal   things  in  common. 

Communal  organizations  have  been  the  one  thing  sought,  for  many  ages, 
and  many  have  been  the  attempts  to  establish  them  on  both  civil  and  relig- 
ious grounds,  and  apparently  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  yet 
they  have  as  of  ten  failed ;  but  the  cause  of  such  failure  is  not  hidden,  and 
the  promoters  of  all  communal  associations  will  do  well  to  take  a  lesson  in 
Shakerism  before  making  an  attempt  to  establish  any  communistic  society 
composed  of  unregenerate  humanity. 

The  Shakers  teach  that  Shakerism,  instead  of  attending  solely  to  the  spir- 
itual necessities  of  man  for  only  one  day  in  seven,  cares  for  and  supplies  all 
his  temporal,  as  well  as  spiritual  wants,  all  the  seven  days  of  the  week. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOUNT    LEBANON     COMMUNITY— MINISTRY     ESTABLISHED- 
BUSINESS  OPERATIONS. 

FIRST  in  the  order  of  the  established  Communities  of  Shp-kerism  was  that 
of  the  New  Lebanon  Society.  This  was  located  in  the  town  of  New 
Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  near  the  Massachusetts  state  line  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Berkshire  Hills,  and  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  town  of  New  Lebanon. 

In  1861  this  Shaker  seltlemeiit  was  so  flourishing  as  to  wan-ant  the  Brethren 


0 


'K'li' 


•'li 


ii^i^i 


Jill 


MINISTRY   ESTABLISHED.  41 

in  asking  the  general  government  to  make  it  a  post-office  station.  This  was 
gi'anted  on  the  17th  of  August  in  that  year,  and  the  Postmaster-General, 
Montgomery  Blair,  appointed  a  very  worthy  Shaker,  Elder  Richard  Bushnell, 
as  the  postmaster,  designating  the  new  office  as  Mount  Lebanon,  in  order  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  older  office  of  New  Lebanon  located  in  another  part  of 
the  town.  From  this  time  the  Society  became  to  be  known  as  the  Mount  Leb- 
anon Shakers,  and  this  name  it  has  ever  since  retained,  and  hereafter  in  speak- 
ing of  it  we  wUl  so  designate  it. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1787,  Father  Joseph  Meacham,  Elders  Calvin 
Harlow  and  David  Meacham,  notified  all  those  who  had  accepted  the  Shak- 
er faith  that  the  tmie  was  ripe  for  the  formation  of  a  church  organization,  and 
that  all  who  desu-ed,  and  were  qualified,  might  come  into  the  association.  On- 
ly those  who  were  sound  in  the  faith,  free  from  debt,  independent  of  all  obli- 
gations to  others,  and  single  persons,  were  to  be  admitted.  Generally  this  in- 
cluded adults,  but  in  some  exceptional  cases,  children  who  had  the  free  and 
full  consent  of  then-  parents,  were  admitted. 

This  collective  body  of  Christians,  voluntarily  withdrawing  themselves  from 
the  world  and  all  its  attachments,  formed  what  was  to  be  known  as  the  first 
church  of  the  United  Society  of  Believers — the  Chm-ch  Family  of  Shakerism. 
However,  to  provide  for  many  who  had  accepted  of  a  degree  of  the  Shaker  re- 
ligion but  were  stiU  bound  by  family  ties,  and  for  others  who  were  seekers  after 
the  truth  and  on  probation,  a  "family  relation  order,"  distinct  from  the  Chm'ch 
was  established,  into  which  this  class  were  gathered  to  be  properly  educated  for 
the  higher  plane  of  Shakerism.  Within  the  Church  was  established  a  Minis- 
try, which  constituted  the  authority  and  fountain-head  of  all  Shaker  govern- 
ment. This  consisted  of  two  Brethi'en  and  two  Sisters — Father  Joseph  Meach- 
am, Abiatha  Babbett,  Mother  Lucy  Wright  and  Ruth  Landon. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1787,  the  Church  had  a  membership  of  more 
than  one  hundred  persons,  not  including  those  in  the  Family  and  Novitiate 
Order.  Provision  for  the  support  of  the  Community  had  been  made  by  the 
generous  donations  of  Hezekiah  Hammond,  Jonathan  Walker,  David  Dar- 
row,  and  others,  of  their  homes  and  lands  ;  still  they  were  over  crowded  and 
sadly  lacked  for  houses  for  then*  accommodation,  and  more  land  for  farming- 
purposes  and  buildings  for  the  use  and  occupancy  of  the  rapid  accessions 
which  were  coming  in  from  all  quarters.  But,  under  the  wise  management 
of  Father  Joseph,  this  was  soon  provided  for,  by  his  erection  on  the  27th  of 
August,  1788,  of  the  framework  for  an  extensive  dwelling  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  Church.  This  structure  was  rapidly  carried  forward  to  com- 
pletion, and  was  ready  for  occupancy  on  the  following  Christmas. 

The  Ministry  appointed  Elders  as  directors  in  the  spiritual  management  in 
each  of  the  established  orders.  Trustees  were  also  delegated  to  take  charge 
of  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  association,  the  buying  and  selling  of  all  prop- 
erty, and  as  custodians  of  the  deeds  of  the  real  estate  purchased  for  the 
Society. 


42  BUSINESS    OPERATIONS. 

About  the  same  time,  the  Society  at  Watervhet  "was  also  organized.  True, 
in  point  of  time,  this  was  the  oldest  association  of  the  Shakers,  but  the  sec- 
ond in  the  order  of  organization  into  a  body  corporate.  Two  Families  were 
established  here,  but  both  under  the  immediate  jurisdiction  of  the  Ministry 
at  Mount  Lebanon.  The  Watervliet  and  Mount  Lebanon  Societies  formed 
what  was  denominated  as  a  Bishopric.  Elder  John  Hocknell  resided  at 
Watervliet,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  this  Society,  and 
donated  his  large  landed  estate  for  that  purpose.  The  Ministry  made  the 
appointment,  as  Senior  Elders  over  the  Watervliet  Society,  of  Timothy  Hub- 
bard and  Anna  Mathewson,  and  of  Aaron  AVood  and  Sarah  Bennett  as  their 
associates. 

The  3"ear  1788  was  one  bordering  upon  hardship  for  the  infant  Societies. 
The  wheat  crop,  which  had  been  regarded  as  the  main  source  of  supply  for 
their  food,  was  nearly  ruined  by  the  cold  and  open  winter,  and  from  the  same 
cause  the  fruit  crop  was  almost  a  total  failure.  But  upon  a  just  and  equal 
division  of  the  hai-vest  being  made  to  all  the  Families,  though  limited  in 
quantity,  there  was  no  actual  suffering  for  the  want  of  food. 

The  next  year,  1789,  more  attention  was  given  to  the  raising  of  potatoes, 
which  resulted  in  securing  a  harvest  of  some  three  thousand  bushels  as  the 
outcome  of  their  efforts.  This,  with  a  fair  crop  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley, 
corn  and  flax  was  an  evidence  of  thrift  and  proof  of  a  determination  on  the 
part  of  the  Shakers  to  make  a  success  of  their  communistic  Society. 

In  1788,  Elders  Calvin  Harlow  and  David  Meacham  went  out  on  a  visita- 
tion to  the  Shakers  in  the  other  States  who  were  not  as  yet  gathered  into  or- 
ganized Societies.  Five  years  later  at  least  nine  other  Societies  had  been 
organized  in  the  States  of  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire  and 
Maine,  with  a  membership  of  upwards  of  one  thousand  souls. 

In  1791,  Elder  David  Meacham  was  appointed  by  the  Ministry  as  the  sen- 
ior trustee  and  director  of  all  business  transactions  with  the  general  public. 
At  the  same  time  an  order  of  deacons  was  established  invested  with  the 
oversight  of  the  temporal  affairs  of  each  family.  The  several  orders  of  the 
Church  were  as  follows :  The  Ministry,  Elders,  Trustees  and  family  dea- 
cons. After  this  arrangement,  the  Ministry  withdrew  from  the  active  man- 
agement of  all  temporal  duties  to  attend  to  that  of  the  spiritual  condition 
of  the  members,  leaving  the  management  of  each  of  the  other  departments 
to  its  own  delegated  head,  all  being  responsible,  in  all  of  their  transactions, 
to  their  superiors.  By-laws  for  the  government  of  the  Believers  were  com- 
mitted to  writing  that  all  might  understand  and  profit  thereby.  Some  of  the 
laws  were  to  this  effect:  "No  one  shall  buy  or  sell  in  the  Church,  nor 
trade  with  those  outside  of  the  Church,  except  by  the  union  of  the  Trus- 
tees." "No  one  shall  hold  private  property."  "A  selfish,  private  union 
should  not  be  maintained,  nor  a  private  correspondence  held  with  any  person 
in  or  out  of  the  Society."* 

*"The  Manifesto,  1889,"  page  194. 


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Church  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.    V 


BUSINESS    OPERATIONS.  47 

In  1793,  a  further  addition  to  their  landed  estate  was  made  by  the  purchase, 
at  Mount  Lebanon  of  several  farms,  but  no  debt  was  incurred  by  reason  of 
any  transaction.  The  Trustees  were  exceedingly  careful  in  their  business 
capacity  and  relations  outside  of  the  Society,  where  they  were  regarded  as 
strictly  honest  and  above  repi'oach.  The  Brethren  and  Sisters  who  had  in 
hand  the  management  of  the  general  business,  held  daily  meetings  for  con- 
ference as  to  the  best  method  to  pursue,  and  each  department  moved  on  har- 
moniously. 

In  the  line  of  manufacturing,  that  of  tanning  and  currying  was  carried 
on  by  the  community  the  very  first  year  of  its  organization.  The  bark 
was  ground  by  th?  old-style,  upright,  circular  millstone,  propelled  by  horse 
power.  Si'veral  tan  vats  were  sunk  outside  in  the  ground  near  the  bark  mill, 
and  for  twenty  years  this  was  the  method  pursued.  In  1807,  improvements 
were  inaugurated  by  enlarging  the  building  and  putting  in  a  machine  for 
rolling  sole-leather  for  boots  and  shoes.  In  1-S13,  they  added  a  Richardson 
leather-splitting  machine,  which  was  th  -n  a  new  and  patented  invention  for 
splitting  leather.  In  fact,  this  was  one  of  the  first  invented  machines  for 
that  purpose.  Still  further  improvements  wore  made  twenty  yeai's  later  by 
the  enlargement  of  buildings  and  the  putting  down  of  more  tan  vats.  But 
in  1850,  the  Shakers  caught  the  spirit  of  the  times,  abandoned  the  olden- 
time  cold  liquor  style,  twelve  months'  process,  of  making  good  honest  leath- 
er, and  introduced  the  steam  boiler,  hot  liquor  vats  and  leaches,  and  forced 
along  their  stock  in  genuine  "world's  people"  style,  vastly  more  to  the  Shak- 
er profit.  But,  a  few  years  ago  they  concluded  to  abandon  this  branch  of 
their  business,  probably  arriving  at  this  determination  from  a  feeling  that 
they  could  not  consistently  manufacture  Shaker  leather  by  the  dishonest, 
high-pressure  steam  process. 

The  manufacture  of  wool  hats  was  also  one  of  their  first  occupations ; 
and  the  making  of  cloth  by  the  old  hand-loom  process  was  continued  by 
them  for  many  years.  Saddle  and  harness  making  was  also  at  one  time  a 
profitable  department  of  their  manufactures.  In  fact,  we  find  nearly  every 
trade  well  represented  in  their  ranks — weavers,  spinners,  tailors,  tanners, 
curriei'S,  shoemakers,  blacksmiths,  machinists,  masons,  carpenters,  tin- 
smiths ;  and  in  the  line  of  the  professions  that  of  physicians.  But  we  find 
them  not  burdened  with  saloons,  and,  consequently,  without  sheriffs,  police 
or  constables,  lawyers,  courts  or  jails. 

The  manufacture  of  medicines  has  been  extensively  carried  on  by  the 
Mount  Lebanon  Society  for  many  years.  Shaker  garden  seeds  have  also  a 
world-wide  reputation.  They  are  also  extensive  farmers  and  fruit  growers. 
They  have  some  three  thousand  acres  of  land  besides  several  timber  tracts 
in  other  parts  of  the  country.  They  have  a  population  of  about  three  hun- 
dred at  Mount  Lebanon  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  at  Watervliet. 
They  are  well  supplied  with  buildings  of  substantial  and   superior  character, 


48  EQUAL    IJKiHTS. 

aud  have  ample  aocommodatious  for  a  thousand  persons.  The  Society  is 
looking  for  large  accessions  to  its  numbers  at  no  distant  day.  They  profess 
to  read  in  the  signs  of  the  times  a  coming  upheaval  of  society ;  that  the 
present  legalized  system  of  granting  power  and  advantage  to  the  few  at  the 
expense  of  the  many,  is  creating  a  discontent  among  tlu^  laboring  class  that 
can  but  result  in  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  present  system  of  society ; 
but  that  before  this  will  occur,  the  Shaker  doctrine  will  spread  over  the  land 
as  an  educator  of  the  masses,  teaching  them  that  true  and  perfect  happiness 
can  only  b?  enjoyed  where  every  vestige  of  selfishness  has  been  rooted  out 
from  the  human  heart,  giving  perfect  equality  to  all  and  a  community  of 
goods  such  as  is  embraced  in  Shakerism. 


CHAPTER     IX. 

MEN    AND   WOMEN  ON  EQUAL  FOOTING— GATHERING  OF   COM- 
MUNITIES IN  OTHER  LOCALITIES— ELDER  JOHN  WHITELEY. 

IN  the  year  1793  the  Church  organization  of  Shakerism  may  be  said  to 
have  been  completed.  The  one  important  point  of  gospel  order  which 
they  felt  was  indispensable  to  the  true  relation  of  the  Church  was  perfected. 
Previous  to  this  they  had  been  held  together  by  the  kind  aud  friendly  rela- 
tions which  existed  with  them  as  with  other  religious  bodies.  But  the  pro- 
moters of  Shakerism  saw  that  something  more  was  required  if  they  were  to 
be  true  followers  of  Christ  and  his  teachings.  They  saw^  that  the  union  of 
men  aud  women  for  the  worship  of  God  one  day  in  seven,  leaving  them  to 
the  machinations  of  the  devil  the  other  six  days  of  the  week,  was  not  the 
true  spirit  of  Christianity,  therefore  communism  w^as  established,  in  order 
that  no  man,  woman  or  child  within  the  order  need  lack  for  shelter,  food  or 
raiment ;  that  the  body,  as  well  as  the  soul,  might  receive  special  care  at 
their  hands.  To  this  end,  the  Brethren  and  Sisters,  in  then  management  of 
the  general  business,  saw^  the  necessity  of  often  conferring  with  each  other 
as  to  the  best  means  and  methods  to  be  used  in  order  to  accomplish  the  best 
results.  Meetings  were  held  every  other  day,  and  sometimes  oftener.  As 
officers,  the  Sisters  held  equal  privileges  with  the  Brethren  in  all  their  confer- 
ences. Thus  Shakerism  accords  to  woman  an  equal  voice  with  man  in  the 
government  of  the  Society. 

Before  the  house  of  worship  at  Mount  Lebanon  was  built,  the  Shakers,  as 
a  body,  had  no  regular  order  of  religious  sei'viee.  Being  scattered  over  a 
wide  extent  in  small  families,  they  spent  their  hours  of  worship  mostly  in 
their  own  homes.  Where  several  of  the  families  were  located  near  each  oth- 
er, meetings  would  be  held  at  some  designated  place,  and  a  Minister,  or  one 
of  the  Elders,  would  direct  the  service.     If,  however,  they  were  within  a  few 


GATHERING     OF     COMMUNITIES. 


51 


hours'  ride  of  Watervliet,  they  would  consider  it  a  privilege  to  make  the 
journey  in  order  to  meet  Mother  Ann  and  the  Elders  and  enjoy  the  short 
season  of  spiritual  communion  which  their  presence  gave.  The  inclemency 
of  the  weather  was  never  such  as  to  induce  them  to  remain  in  their  more 
comfortable  houses,  and  on  many  dark  and  stormy  days  they  were  noticed 
wending  their  way  toward  Watervliet.  Here  they  would  assemble  in  one  of 
the  houses  and  hold  their  meetings.  At  first,  all  would  sit  in  silence,  then 
some  one  of  the  assembly  would  begin  the  exercises  by  the  singing  of  a 
solemn  song,  or  one  of  the  Elders  would  lead  with  an  exhortation,  to  be  fol- 
lowed with  prayer  ;  or,  perhaps,  some  brother  or  sister  would  be  moved  up- 
on spiritually,  which  would  be  made  manifest  by  convulsions  of  the  body, 
shaking,  twisting,  turning  and  marching  in  the  Shaker  dance. 


Community  at  Harvard,  Mass. 


After  the  building  of  the  Mount  Lebanon  church,  the  exercises  were  of  a 
more  orderly  nature — the  marching  and  dancing  were  more  moderate.  The 
violent  manifestations  of  a  spiritualistic  nature  became  less  frequent.  The 
meetings  on  Sunday,  in  the  morning,  were  of  a  public  nature,  which  the 
"world's  people"  if  they  chose,  could  attend.  For  the  benefit  of  the  wor- 
shipers, small  pegs  were  driven  into  the  floor,  to  aid  the  Brethren  and  Sisters 
in  the  forming  of  straight  ranks,  as  they  stood  to  sing  and  to  speak.  At  the 
hour  when  the  service  was  to  begin,  they  assumed  a  standing  position,  and 
the  Brethren  and  Sisters  arranged  themselves  in  ranks  upon  opposite  sides 
of  the  house,  the  head  of  the  columns  being  separated  from  each  other  by 
about  four  feet,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  columns  they  were  some  ten  feet 
apart.  Thus  arranged,  they  were  in  readiness  for  their  marching  dance  and 
the  exercise  known  to  them  as  the  "Square  Order."  This  religious  service, 
to  which  the  public  were  admitted  as  silent  spectators,  was  participated  in 
by  all  the  Shaker  families,  with  the  exception  of  that  of  the  Church  family, 


52  GATHERING    OF    COMMUNITIPIS. 

the  highest  in  the  order  of  Shakerism,  they  held  their  services  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  Sabbath,  to  which  none  not  of  their  rank  were  ever  admitted. 
Of  the  ceremonies  conducted  within  this  liallowed  precinct  of  their  gather- 
ings, we  have  no  information.  Their  secrets  have  been  held  more  sacred 
and  have  been  better  kept,  than  have  those  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  No 
AVilliam  Morgan  among  them  has  disregarded  his  solemn  obligations  to  the 
order  so  far  as  to  enlighten  the  Gentile  mind  in  the  mysteries  of  this  sub- 
lime degree  of  Shakerism. 

The  first  Shaker  Hymn  Book,  published  exclusively  for  the  Shakers,  was 
issued  by  themselves,  at  Hancock,  Mass.,  in  1813,  emanated  from  one  of 
the  families  located  there,  and  bore  the  title,  "Millennial  Praises."  Among 
the  "world's  people,"  this  book  would  hardly  rank  as  a  poetical  etfusion. 
It  is  rather  a  tirade  against  the  sins  of  the  flesh.  Some  very  pointed  and 
plain  truths  are  told  in  language  seeking  to  convey  to  the  Shaker  heart,  un- 
mistakable words,  some  particular  sin  to  be  ostracized,  which  fully  express- 
es the  ideas  which  inspired  the  founders  of  the  order.  "We  note  some  of  the 
unique  titles  of  the  hymns:  "Cause  and  Effect  of  Man's  Fall,"  "Resolu- 
tion against  a  Carnal  Nature,"  "Make  thy  Garden  Grow,"  "Natural  and 
Spiritual  Relation,"  and  many  others  of  like  character  in  this  book  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  pages. 

In  the  year  1790,  a  community  of  the  Shakers  was  gathered  in  tlie  town 
of  Hancock,  Mass.,  and  in  the  month  of  September  Elder  Calvin  Harlow  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  that  Coiimiunity.  At  the  same  tiuie.  Sister 
Sarah  Harrison  was  appointed  to  the  Ministry.  The  other  otficfrs  were  se- 
lected from  the  members  of  the  Hancock  Society.  Thus  was  success,fuljy 
launched  another  branch  from  the  parent  Society  at  Mount  Lebanon,  wLich  has 
now  already  entered  upon  its  second  centennial  year.  In  the  following  May, 
1791,  a  community  was  gathered  at  Harvard,  Mass.,  making  the  fourth 
Shaker  Society  in  its  order  of  establishment.  The  parent  Society  appoiuled 
Eleazer  Rand  and  Hannah  Kendall  over  this  branch.  Ju  the  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1792,  another  branch  was  established  at  Canterbury,  N.  H.,  under  the 
guidance  of  Job  Bishop  and  Hannah  Goodrich.  At  the  same  time  two  oth  r 
branches  were  established,  one  at  Enfield,  Conn.,  and  the  other  in  Shirliy, 
Mass  ;  that  at  Enfield,  under  Calvin  Harlow  and  Sarah  Harrison,  and  at 
Shirley  under  the  ministerial  guidance  of  P^leazer  Rand  and  Hnnnah  Kendall. 

The  Shaker  Community  at  Shirley,  Mass.,  originated  by  the  donation  of 
Elijah  Wildes  of  his  farm,  and  of  others  strong  in  the  Shaker  faith.  They 
were  especially  strengthened  in  their  earl}'  days  by  such  solid  and  prominent 
members  as  Nathan  Willard,  Oliver  Burt,  Amos  Buttrick  and  Ivery  Wildes. 
The  Society  at  Shirley  was  organized  in  the  year  1793,  with  a  membership 
of  forty-four  adults  and  twenty-two  youths  and  children.  From  this  humble 
beginning  many  hundreds  here  have  found  a  home,  some  for  a  longer  and 
some  for  a  shorter  period  of  time.  The  pretty,  little,  well-filled  cemetery  at- 
tests that  a  goodly  number  have  held  on  to  the  end. 


Elder  John  Whiieley. 


i 


ELDER    JOHN    WHITE  LEY.  57 

Extending  their  domains  by  purchase  and  other  accessions,  they  now  hold 
the  ownership  of  some  two  thousand  five  hundred  acres  of  land.  Farming, 
the  raising  of  garden  seeds,  the  manufacture  of  Shalvcr  brooms,  dish  and 
floor  mops,  with  the  celebrated  Shaker  apple  sauce  and  some  other  articles, 
are  their  chief  means  of  support. 

John  Whiteley,  who  came  to  America  from  England  fifty  years  ago,  is  the 
presiding  Elder  and  the  business  manager  of  this  Society.  A  more  upright 
and  honorable  man,  and  in  whose  countenance  the  index  of  his  character  is 
more  plainly  stamped,  never  walked  the  streets  of  Shirley.  Elder  Whiteley 
has  also  the  general  superintendency  of  the  Society  at  Harvard,  Mass.  The 
business  there  chiefly  carried  on  is  farm  and  dairy  work,  and  the  preparation 
of  medicinal  herbs.  They  have  also  a  large  estate  in  acreage.  The  present 
number  of  able  and  devoted  workers  at  both  Shirley  and  Harvard  is  not 
large,  but  they  are  patiently  watching  and  waiting. 

Thus  we  have  seven  distinct  settlements  of  communistic  Societies  of  Shak- 
erism,  each  one  of  which  has  now  successfully  passed  into  its  second  centen- 
nial year  with  a  present  membership  of  some  one  thousand  souls,  and  as  pro- 
prietors of  about  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land,  with  buildings  unsurpassed 
for  comfort  and  durability  by  any  farming  and  manufacturing  community  in 
the  land. 

In  the  following  February,  1793,  another  branch  of  the  parent  Society  was 
gathered  in  the  town  of  Alfred,  Me.,  where  John  Barnes  and  Sarah  Kendall 
were  delegated  as  the  presiding  Elders.  This  settlement,  shortly  after,  was 
followed  by  any  other  branch  at  Enfield,  N.  H.,  and  about  the  sams  time  other 
Societies  were  established,  one  in  New  Gloucester,  Me.,  another  in  Grove- 
land,  N.  Y.,  and  still  another  at  Tyringham,  Mass.  This  comprised  all  of 
the  Shaker  settlements  made  previous  to  the  year  1794,  no  others  being 
founded  till  1805.  They  were  all  founded  within  a  period  of  five  years — 
1787  to  1793. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1780,  the  entire  Community  of  Shakers  num- 
bered no  more  than  nine  persons,  all  of  whom  came  over  from  England. 
Twenty-three  years  later,  1803,  they  numbered  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
thirty-two.  Twenty-five  years  later,  a  thousand  more  members  had  been 
added  to  their  census,  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  1839,  the  entire  member- 
ship of  the  Shaker  Societies  numbered  five  thousand  persons.  • 

The  Society  at  Enfield,  N.  H.,  was  established  about  the  same  date,  of 
that  of  Shirley,  Mass.,  1793.  They  have  a  beautiful  situation  along  the  west 
shore  of  Mascoma  Lake.  They  have  a  large  estate,  and  are  chiefly  interest- 
ed in  farming  and  dairy  pursuits.  They  have  a  good  stock  of  full-blooded, 
registered  Durham  cows.  At  the  Church  Family  they  have  one  of  the  finest 
barns  for  stock  to  be  found  in  that  section.  It  is  one  hundred  feet  long  by 
fifty  feet  wide,  a  cellar  running  under  the  entire  building,  the  walls  of  which 
are  laid  with  large  blocks  of    granite.     The  first  floor  has  its  stalls  for  the 


58  KEXTUCKV     KEVIVAL. 

COWS,  a  reservoir  of  water  and  a  cooking  tank,  and  a  room  for  the  storage 
of  the  herdsmen's  tools.  The  boiler  room  and  root  cellar  are  both  entered 
from  this  floor.  The  second  loft  is  used  as  a  feeding  floor,  where  the  hay  is 
easily  passed  to  the  cow  stalls  on  the  floor  below.  The  third  floor  is  the 
"drive- way."  An  abutment  at  both  ends  of  the  barn  forms  an  easy  passage 
for  the  loads  of  hay  on  this  floor,  where  the  teams  are  unloaded  and  the  hay 
stored  on  either  side  of  the  barn,  after  which  the  teams  are  driven  out  of  the 
opposite  eud  into  the  fields  beyond.  The  building  has  a  gable  roof,  and  is 
covered  with  slate  brought  from  the  State  of  Vermont.  The  building  was 
erected  in  LS54. 

In  cold  weather  the  cow  stalls  are  warmed  by  steam,  to  a  temperature  of 
about  sixty  degrees,  through  a  line  of  pipes  rauning  the  entire  length  of  their 
apartments.  The  warm  room  for  the  cows,  the  warm  food  with  which  they 
are  fed,  and  the  warm  water  given  them  to  drink  in  cold  weather,  amply  pays 
for  all  the  outlay,  in  an  increased  supply  of  milk. 


CHAPTER    X. 

"KEN^TUCKY     EEYIVAL"— PECULIAR    FOEMS     OF    WOESHIP— SHAKERS 

SENT    ON    FOOT    A    THOUSAND    MILES  TO  INVESTIGATE— PERSE- 

TIONS— COMMUNITIES  ESTABLISHED  IN  KENTUCKY  AND  OHIO. 

FOR  the  next  twelve  years,  following  1793,  Shakerism  made  no  very 
marked  progress.  A  moderate  growth  in  numbers  from  admissions  of 
members  into  the  already  established  Societies  was  all  that  could  be  claimed. 
In  the  years  1800  and  1801,  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  State  of 
Kentucky  a  most  remarkable  religious  fervor  swept  over  that  entire  commu- 
nity, which  shortly  after  paved  the  way  for  the  established  of  Shakerism  in 
that  distant  State.  An  interesting  account  of  this  "most  extraordinary 
out-pouring  of  the  spirit  of  God" — so  styled  by  some  church  members,  while 
othei's  designated  it  as  the  "works  of  the  devil" — is  to  be  found  in  a  little 
work  of  142  pages,  entitled ;  "The  Kentucky  Revival,"  written  by  an  eye- 
witness of  the  proceedings,  Richard  M'Nemar,  and  published  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  in  1807.  We  learn  from  him  that  for  several  years  previous  to  the 
outbreak,  the  state  of  religion  in  that  portion  of  Kentucky  was  at  a  very  low 
ebb  iu  the  dominant  churches,  which  were  composed  of  the  Presbyterian, 
Baptist  and  Methodist  persuasions,  and  that  although  these  different  sects 
professedly  set  out  to  establish  and  promote  the  peaceable  religion  of  Jesus, 
their  usual  debates  and  controversies  brought  to  life  a  hot  spiritual  warfare, 
and  that  such  was  the  zeal  of  each  for  their  distinguishing  tenets  and  forms 
of  worship,  that  they  held  aloof  from  any  communion  or  fellowship  whatever 
with   each   other — in   fact,    treating  each  other  with  ever}"  possible  mark  of 


H'Uliollllllliil 


FORMS    OF    WORSHIP.  61 

hostility.  This,  then,  was  the  spiritual  state  of  the  churches.  Meanwhile 
Deism  began  to  spread  rapidly  over  the  community,  and  very  many  embraced 
that  faith.  This  condition  of  affairs  continued  for  several  years,  and  until 
the  year  1800,  when,  from  the  banks  of  the  Gasper  and  Red  Rivers,  in  the 
counties  of  Logan  and  Christian,  a  ripple  of  commotion  came  over  those 
troubled  waters  that  struck  consternation  into  the  hearts  of  many  a  household. 

Reports  came  of  strong  men  shaking  as  a  reed  in  the  wind ;  of  au  intense 
throbbing  of  the  heart,  with  violent  weeping;  of  being  thrown  in  the  street, 
and  by  no  visible  power;  with  a  swooning  away  until  every  appearance  of 
life  had  departed,  and  they  lay  as  in  a  trance.  Children  were  seized  with  the 
same  influence.  In  time,  some  recovered  from  the  trance  with  a  shout  of 
joy,  others  cried  out  for  mercy.  The  infliction  rapidly  overspread  the  whole 
country.  It  broke  out  in  Knoxville,  and  there  was  an  outburst  of  it  in  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  Camp  meetings  were  held  in  very  many  places  to  accommodate 
the  throngs  that  crowded  to  witness  the  mighty  power  that  was  shaking  the 
populace  to  its  very  center. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  these  meetings  was  begun  ou  the  22nd  of 
May,  1801,  in  the  town  of  Cabin  Creek,  and  continued  without  intermission 
for  four  days  and  three  nights.  The  scene  is  said  to  have  been  "awful  be- 
yond description."  Many,  in  attempting  to  flee  from  its  influence,  fell  by 
the  way,  and  so  many  were  they  that  they  were  collected  together  and  l:\id 
out,  covering  two  squares  of  the  floor  of  the  meeting-houhe,  in  order  to  pn - 
vent  their  being  trodden  under  foot  by  the  multitude. 

At  another  general  camp  meeting,  convened  in  the  town  of  Concord,  in 
Bourbon  county,  some  four  thousand  persons  gathered  and  met  with  like  i  x- 
periences.  On  another  occasion,  at  a  general  gathering  o.'  some  twenty 
thousand  people  at  Caneridge,  in  thi^  same  county,  on  tlie  6th  of  August,  it 
is  said  that  three  thousand  persons  fell  to  the  ground  in  the  state  of  trance. 
Later  on,  these  persons  formed  themselves  into  a  body  of  worsliipers  ctdled 
Schismatics,  or  separators  from  the  established  churches. 

When  we  read  of  their  peculiar  forms  of  worship,  of  their  exercises  in  roll- 
ing, jerks  and  barks,  we  stand  aghast,  and  ask  ourselves  if  this  people  had 
run  mad. 

In  tne  "rolling"  exercise,  they  doubled  head  and  feet  together,  and  rolh  d 
over  and  over  like  a  wheel;  or,  stretching  tliemselves  prostrate,  they  turned 
swiftly  over  and  over  like  a  log.  This  was  considered  as  debasing  and  mor- 
tifying the  flesh.  But  still  more  demeaning  were  the  "jerks."  This  exercise 
commonly  began  in  the  head,  which  would  fly  backwartl  and  forward,  and 
from  side  to  side,  with  a  quick  jolt ;  then,  with  a  violent  dash  on  the  ground, 
they  would  bounce  from  place  to  place,  like  a  foot  ball ;  or  they  would  hop 
about  with  head,  limbs  and  body  twitching  and  jolting  in  every  direction. 
But  the  last  possible  grade  of  mortification  culminated  in  the  "barks."  In 
this  they  were  exercised  to  take  the  position  of  the  dog,  and  move  about  up- 


()2  A    MISSIONARY    JOURNEY. 

ou  all  f(5urs,  growling  and  l>arking,  snapping  of  teeth,  having  every  appear^v 
ance  of  a  most  vicious  beast.  These  exorcises  were  acknowledged,  by  the 
victims,  as  being  brought  upon  them  involuntarily,  and  in  punishment  for 
disobedience,  or  as  a  stimulus  to  incite  them  to  perform  some  duty  to  which 
they  were  opposed.  And  as  it  was  inflicted  upon  those  of  cultivated  and 
polite  breeding,  equally  with  those  of  lower  birth,  it  would  seem  to  the  ob- 
server as  though  the  candidate  was  moved  by  some  supernatural  power. 

In  the  course  of  time  these  strange  proceedings  were  superseded  by  the 
voluntary  dance,  and  we  read  that  "brother  Thompson,  at  the  spring  sacra- 
ment, at  Turtle  Creek,  in  1804,  was  constrained,  just  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting,  to  go  to  dancing,  and  for  an  hour  or  more  to  dance  around  the 
stand,  all  the  while  repeating  in  a  low  tone  of  voice — 'This  is  the  Holy 
Ghost— glory!'" 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1804,  the  Schismatics,  or  New  Lights  relig- 
ionists, as  they  were  often  called,  had  organized  themselves  into  regular  So- 
cieties, covering  the  States  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  Ohio, 
Virginia  and  AVestern  Pennsylvania,  their  meetings  characterized  by  the  same 
wild  fervor  of  praying,  shouting,  jerking,  barking,  rolling,  prophesying  and 
singing,  as  when  the  news  of  the  first  outbreak  came  down  from  the  banks  of 
the  Gasper  and  Red  Rivers  in  Kentucky. 

Their  mode  of  prayer  was  of  the  most  singular  form.  Each  one  stood 
alone  and  by  himself  ;  each  one  was  for  himself,  and  himself  alone  in  his 
separate  and  individual  petition  to  Almighty  God,  which  formed  one  united 
whole,  by  the  sound  of  which  thereof,  it  was  said,  the  doubting  footsteps  of 
some,  who  were  in  search  of  the  meeting,  were  directed  there  for  miles. 

Another  singular  feature  of  their  exercise  was  the  shaking  of  hands,  and 
at  the  same  time  of  pledging  themselves  each  to  the  other,  by  the  most  sol- 
emn and  sacred  of  vows,  that  they  would  persevere  to  the  end  in  then-  sin- 
killing  work. 

Their  songs  and  hymns  were  unique,  the  following  being  a  specimen  of  a 
couple  of  verses  from  4 'Part  First"  of  one  of  the  latter,  though  Mr.  M'Nemar 
remarks  that  the  hymn  itself  was  not  originally  intended  for  publication : 

"The  twenty-first  of  the  third  month,  in  eighteen  hundred  one, 
The  word  of  God  came  unto  me — that  word  wliich  came  to  John: 
'My  gospel  is  prepai'ing  for  this  benighted  land ; 
Go  and  proclaim  the  tidings  my  kingdom  is  at  hand.' 

"With  prayer  and  exhortation  they  make  the  forest  roar, 
And  such  loud  strains  of  shouting  were  never  heard  before. 
The  stupid  antichristians  were  struck  both  blind  and  dumb, 
With  such  loud  supplications,  'Lord,  let  thy  kingdom  come!'  " 

The  following  is  from  '  'Part  Second"  of  the  same  hymn : 
"Five  preachers  formed  a  body  in  eighteen  hundred  three, 
From  antichrist's  false  systems,  to  set  the  people  free; 


MISSIONARIES.  63 

His  doctrine  and  his  worship  in  pieces  they  did  tear, 
But  ere  the  scene  was  ended  these  men  became  a  snare. 
"The  word  of  God  came  unto  them  in  eighteen  hundred  four: 
'Tour  work  is  now  completed;  you  are  called  to  do  no  more. 
My  kingdom  soon  must  enter,  I  cannot  long  delay; 
And  in  your  present  order  you're  standing  in  my  way.'  " 

This,  then,  was  the  religious  state  of  the  western  country  which  came  by 
post  to  the  Shaker  Society  at  Mount  Lebanon,  and  determined  them  to  send 
as  missionaries  to  that  then  far-off  land,  John  Meacham,  Benjamin  S.  Youngs 
and  Issachar  Bates.  This  journey  of  more  than  a  thousand  mUes  was  made 
by  them  on  foot,  and  attended  with  many  privations  and  hardships.  It  was 
begun  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1805,  and  they  arrived  in  Kentucky  about 
the  fu'St  of  March.  It  was  their  intention  to  visit  the  scenes  of  the  great 
revival  and  see  for  themselves  how  much  was  the  work  of  God  and  how  much 
that  of  man. 

Here  the  featore  of  spirit  impressions  came  in  as  a  factor.  It  was  this 
which  impelled  the  ambassadors  to  take  their  long  journey  on  foot  to  carry 
the  "true  gospel"  to  the  laud  of  the  great  awakening.  And  it  was  this  same 
spirit  impression  that  had  led  the  multitude  of  subjects  to  form  great  expec- 
tations of  a  miraculous  display  of  Divine  power  in  the  coming  suiuaier  of 
1805,  and  which  was  expressed  in  the  words  of  their  hymn  : 

"Shout!  Christians,  shout!  the  Lord  is  come! 
Prepare,  prepare  to  make  him  room. 
On  earth  he  reigns;  we  feel  him  near; 
The  signs  of  glory  now  appear." 

The  ambassadors  remained  for  a  few  days  at  Paint  Lick,  where  they  were 
very  kindly  received,  and  then  passed  on  to  Caneridge  and  spent  a  few  days 
more  with  the  subjects  of  the  revival  there,  and  then  passed  over  into  Ohio, 
and  paid  their  first  visit  to  Springfield.  From  thence  they  went  to  Turtle 
Creek,  a  place  near  Lebanon,  which  t^iey  reached  on  the  22d  of  March,  tar- 
rying over  night  at  the  house  of  one  Malcham  Worley,  who  was  a  man  of  in- 
dependent fortune  and  liberal  education,  as  well  as  a  man  of  unspotted  char- 
acter, and  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  all  that  region. 

Mr.  M'Nemar  teUs  us  that  Malcham  was  one  of  the  violent  subjects  of  the 
great  revival,  and  one  of  the  first  to  embrace  the  new  religion  brought  to  his 
door  by  the  Shaker  ambassadors;  and  he  says,  "I  was  at  first  staggered, 
from  a  deep-rooted  prejudice  that  I  had  imbibed  against  some  of  his  peculiar 
sentiments,  but  finally  concluded  that  if  Malcham  had  been  more  wild  in  his 
former  exercises  than  the  rest,  he  certainly  needed  salvation  the  more.  But 
I  was  not  a  little  surprised  that  these  strange  Brethren  should  come  directly 
there,  and  he  receive  them  with  such  cordiality,  when  I  was  well  assured  that 
no  previous  acquaintance  had  existed  between  them." 


(i4  PEKSECUTIOX. 

Within  three  or  four  weeks  from  the  time  that  Malcham  eiubnieed  the  faith, 
some  ten  or  twelve  families  had  joined  him,  and  within  a  very  short  time  aft- 
er, some  thirty  families  more  had  embraced  the  Shaker  doctrine. 

But  the  same  spirit  of  persecution  which  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  Moth- 
er Ann,  and,  indeed,  ever}'  Shaker  who  attempted  to  preach  his  peculiar  doc- 
trine to  a  new  people,  began  to  break  out  in  a  violent  form.  First  in  the 
field  against  them  was  one  Elder  .John  Thompson,  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at 
Springfield,  who,  though  at  a  distance  from  Turtle  Creek,  where  the  ambas- 
sadors from  Lebanon  were  making  proselytes,  wrote  to  the  church  at  that 
place,  under  date  of  April  5,  LSOS,  in  which  he  expressed  his  opinion  of  the 
Shakers  in  these  words  :  "It  matters  not  to  me  who  they  are,  who  are  the 
devil's  tools,  whether  men  or  angels,  good  men  or  bad.  In  the  strength  of 
God  I  mean  not  to  spare ;  I  used  lenit}^  ouce  to  the  devil,  because  he  came 
in  a  good  man — namely,  Worley.  But  my  God  respects  no  man's  person ;  I 
would  that  they  were  even  cut  off  who  trouble  you.  I  mean  in  the  name  and 
strength  of  God  to  lift  his  rod  of  almighty  truth  against  this  viper."  And  in 
virtue  of  his  words  he  hastened  to  the  camp  meeting  at  Turtle  Creek,  on  the 
27th  of  the  month,  and  raised  a  sudden  and  passionate  outcry  against  the 
Shaker  intruders,  asserting  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  him  the  overseer 
of  the  flock,  and  that  these  Shakers  were  false  Christs,  false  prophets,  wolves 
in  sheep's  clothing,  creeping  into  houses  and  leading  captive  silly  women  and 
sillier  men  ;  and,  stUl  further  seeking  to  incite  the  populace  against  them  by 
exclaiming  in  a  loud  voice  :  '  'They  are  liars  !  they  are  liars  !  Down  with  them 
and  their  pernicious  doctrine  !  " 

With  such  an  example  as  this  set  before  the  people  by  a  professing  Chris- 
tian minister,  is  it  any  wonder  that  a  layman  boldly  spat  in  the  faces  of  John 
Meacham  and  Issachar  Bates,  crying  aloud  :  "Let  us  make  a  great  fire  and 
burn  these  false  prophets  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 

But  notwithstanding  these  persecutions,  the  Shakers  "waxed  strong,"  and 
soon  were  planted  two  Societies  in  Kentucky  and  fom-  in  Ohio,  numbering 
some  two  thousand  souls,  being  augmented  by  members  coming  in  from  oth- 
er adjoining  States. 

There  are  four  families  of  Shakers  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Ky.,  the  dwelling  of 
the  Church  Family  being  shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch. 


o 

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Ki.Di.K,    IIai;\  K1    L.    Ead^ 


69 


chaptj:r  XI. 

BIOGRAPHY  OF  BISHOP  H.  L.  EADS,  SOUTH  UNION,  KENTUCKY. 

THE  SHAKER  COMMUNITY  at  South  Union,  Ky.,  has  about  three 
thousand  acres  of  land.  That  noted,  venerable  Shaker,  the  late  Bishop 
Harvey  L.  Eads,  was  at  the  time  of  his  death,  February  13,  1892,  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty- four  years  and  ten  months,  the  managing  head  of  this 
Shaker  Community,  ha\'ing  been  appointed  to  this  position  in  1872.  He  was 
the  oldest  minister  in  the  order.  The  following  biographical  sketch  of  him  is 
from  the  history  of  Kentucky,  published  in  1886  : — 

"Bishop  H.  L.  Eads,  of  Logan  County,  was  born  in  a  log  cabin,  near 
South  Union,  Ky.,  April  28,  1807,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  G.  and  Sallie 
(Robinson)  Eads.  He  joined  the  Society  of  Shakers  in  his  mother's  arms;  at 
its  first  gathering,  on  the  1 7th  of  November  following  was  'given  up  to  the 
Lord'  and  placed  in  'the  children's  order'  before  he  was  one  year  old.  AU  he 
is,  or  has,  the  Shakers  made  him  and  gave  him,  after  obtaining  his  existence. 
He  continued  to  live  in  a  little  log  cabin  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  After 
four  years  of  age  he  attended  school  three  months  each  year,  learned  to  read, 
spell,  write  'and  'tis  said  could  cipher  too'  as  far  as  the  rule  of  three  and  vul- 
gar fractions.  All  else  (and  he  is  the  best  read  scholar,  wi'iter  and  logician 
ever  reared  among  the  Shakers)  he  has  'picked  up'  at  spare  moments.  After 
he  was  six  or  eight  years  of  age  he  worked  sedulously  at  some  manual  labor 
for  nine  months  each  year ;  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  by  four  years'  act- 
ive service  ;  was  a  teamster  for  two  years  ;  a  seed  grower  for  eight  years  ; 
was  next  elevated  to  the  Ministry  (1836)  with  Elder  Benjamin  S.  Youngs, 
(the  first  missionary  sent  from  the  mother  Society  in  New  Y^ork  to  the  West) 
and  now  'paid  his  way'  by  learning  and  working  at  the  tailoring  and  book- 
binding trades.  In  1844  he  was  suddenly  called  to  Ohio;  was  then  informed 
of  his  releasement  from  the  capacity  of  a  Bishop,  and  requested  to  make  his 
home  at  the  Union  Village  Society.  This  he  did  without  inquiring  the  rea- 
sons for  his  displacement,  and  to  this  day  he  is  ignorant  of  the  cause.  In 
Ohio  he  learned  and  worked  two  years  at  wool-carding  and  spinning,  also  at 
the  tin  and  sheet-iron  works.  He  was  appointed  Novitiate  Elder  at  Union 
Village,  Ohio,  in  1846,  remaining  at  the  same  twelve  years ;  there  learned  the 
printing,  dentistry,  painting  and  hat  trades ;  was  relieved  of  the  Eldership  in 
1858,  and  worked  as  a  common  laborer  for  two  full  years,  when  he  was  again 
appointed  the  Elder  of  a  senior  family.     At  this  as  well  as  at  the  novitiate 


70  ELDER    HARVEY    L.    EADS. 

family  he  was  very  successful  iu  his  undeitakiugs.  At  the  opeuiug  of  the 
civil  war  he  was  sent  back  to  Kentucky  to  assume  the  position  he  so  sudden- 
ly vacated  in  1844 — the  junior  bishop  in  the  Society  having  been  absent 
more  than  eighteen  years ;  next  became  one  of  the  bishops  in  the  consolidat- 
ed Ministry  of  the  two  Kentucky  Societies.  In  1872  this  consolidation  was 
dissolved,  and  he  became  and  has  remained  acting  head  of  the  Shaker  So- 
ciety at  South  Union,  Ky." 

Louis  Basting,  a  member  of  the  Shaker  Society  at  West  Pittsfleld,  Mass., 
in  a  recent  communication  to  the  New  York  Sim,  thus  speaks  of  Elder  Eads  : 

"The  death  of  Elder  H.  L.  Eads,  the  head  of  the  Shaker  Commuuity  at 
South  Union,  Ky.,  removes  a  striking  figure  from  the  scene  of  action.  The 
unique  experience  of  ha\'ing  been  born  among  Shakers  was  his,  for  his  par- 
ents, shortly  after  marriage,  were  converted  and  united  with  the  Society 
where  he  lived  and  labored  during  the  eighty-five  years  of  his  life.  He  grew 
up  among  the  very  trying  scenes  of  hardship  and  danger  which  marked  tlie 
founding  of  the  western  Communities.  His  great  natural  abilities  and  evi- 
dent devotion  to  the  religious  principles  of  the  order  soon  caused  him  to  be 
called  to  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  The  very  limited  educatiou  he 
received  was  of  the  most  rudimentary  quality,  but  the  impulse  for  informa- 
tion being  strong  within  him,  he  ava-iled  himself  of  ever}^  opportunity  to  en- 
large his  stock  of  knowledge,  and  by  close  application  to  study,  when  not  en- 
gaged in  manual  labor  or  official  duties,  he  became  a  talented  public  speaker, 
capable  of  meeting  the  arguments  of  every  form  of  belief  or  unbelief.  The 
svorks  of  Plato,  Spinoza,  and  Locke  were  quite  familiar  to  him,  and  gave  to 
his  discoui'ses  a  logical  turn  and  acute  discernment,  making  them  weighty 
and  effective.  His  published  criticisms  of  the  infidel  positions  assumed  by 
Tyndall  and  Ingersoll,  and  of  the  extreme  orthodoxy  of  McCosh  and  Tal- 
mage,  reveal  not  only  great  intellectual  ability,  but  also  the  perfect  fah-ness 
with  which  he  met  those  of  different  belief  and  opinion." 

"The  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  placed  the  Believers  of  Kentucky  in  a  very 
difficult  position.  They  had  never  owned  slaves,  and  did  not  approve  the 
institution  which  permitted  it,  and  on  that  account  were  regarded  with  dis- 
trust and  suspicion  by  the  pro-slavery  element  of  the  neighborhood,  while 
their  peace  principles,  which  forbade  them  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  the 
Union,  brought  them  into  conflict  with  the  authorities  at  Washington ;  so 
that  much  tact  was  required  on  the  part  of  the  leaders  to  steer  safely  through 
those  troublous  times.  Their  settlements  were  often  occupied  by  Northern 
and  Southern  forces,  and  the  depredations  of  irresponsible  guerriUas  were  a 
constant  source  of  anxiety ;  but  their  greatest  loss  came  from  the  almost  to- 
tal cessation  of  business." 

"When  peace  was  restored,  Elder  Eads  applied  himself  with  great  energy, 
and  successfully,  to  repair  the  damages  his  people  had  suffered.  But  he 
was  pained  to  see  them  steadily  decline  in  numbers.     The  effect  of  the  war 


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ELDER    HARVEY    L.    EADS.  73 

had  been  disastrous,  not  only  financially,  but  it  seemed  also  to  have  changed 
the  public  sense  of  religious  and  moral  obligation  to  a  feeling  of  indifference 
and  lukewarmness,  and  his  efforts  to  counteract  this  tendency  were  unceas- 
ing. He  devotedly  preached  and  lectured,  and  kept  his  pen  busy  to  promote 
the  cause  to  which  he  was  pledged,  and  it  did  seem  at  times  as  if  he  would 
succeed.  He  formed  a  numerous  company  from  Sweden  into  a  family,  and 
erected  new  buildings  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number  of  novices  ;  but 
alas !  but  few  endured  the  period  of  probation  before  they  fell  back  into  'the 
weak  and  beggarly  elements'  of  the  world.  These  disappointments  did  not 
crush  his  heroic  spirit.  And  he  set  himself  to  fulfill  literally  the  Master's 
behest,  and  gathered  all  manner  of  folk  from  the  highways  and  hedges,  the 
streets  and  lanes,  if  peradventure  a  few  among  them  might  be  found  wearing 
'the  wedding  garment,'  worthy  to  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is 
not  given  to  any  man  to  say  that  the  labors  of  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
were  wholly  fruitless ;  if  the  immediate  result  of  his  unselfish  efforts  has  been 
small,  the  just  records  of  eternity  will  undoubtedly  reveal  that  much  of  the 
seed  he  has  sown  has  not  been  wasted." 

"Throughout  his  long  and  useful  life  he  was  a  firm  advocate  of  the  princi- 
ples of  religious  communism  and  celibacy,  and  what  he  taught  he  embodied 
in  his  conduct.  He  dignified  hand  labor  and  practiced  it  to  the  last.  The 
versatility  of  mind  which  led  him  to  become  thoroughly  grounded  in  theology, 
science,  and  mathematics,  and  enabled  him  to  acquire  a  good  working  knowl- 
edge of  several  languages,  also  extended  into  the  region  of  commerce,  me- 
chanics, and  agriculture :  indeed,  he  seemed  to  have  a  good  share  of  that 
practical  ingenuity  which  distinguished  his  near  relative,  Capt.  Eads,  the  fa- 
mous engineer.  When,  not  many  years  ago,  instrumental  music  was  intro- 
duced and  none  was  found  capable  of  playing  piano  or  organ,  with  character- 
istic energy  he  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  studying  music,  and  soon  was 
able  to  instruct  younger  people  in  the  art.  His  contributions  to  the  West- 
ern press  were  quite  numerous,  but  the  work  by  which  he  is  best  known  and 
will  be  longest  remembered  is  'Shaker  Theology:  Scripto-Rational,' an  oc- 
tavo of  three  hundred  pages,  which  has  passed  through  several  editions.  His 
character  was  of  puritanical  sternness  ;  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian  and  m- 
sisted  upon  obedience  to  the  rules  of  Shaker  life — 'the  sacred  laws  of  Zi- 
on,'  as  he  was  wont  to  term  them.  He  'magnilied  his  office,'  and  held  it  as 
a  sacred  ti'ust  for  which  he  was  accountable ;  yet  personally  he  was  of  a  very 
kindly  and  affectionate  disposition,  easily  approached  by  children  or  any  one, 
and  his  conversation  sparkled  with  quaint  old-time  humor.  He  was  as  hap- 
py as  any  one  could  be  in  his  environment.  What  to  the  great  majorit}'  of 
mankind  appears  to  be  but  an  abject  servitude  was  to  him  a  means  whereby 
to  gain  true  liberty — a  life  he  had  chosen  voluntarily,  and  the  full  vnlue  of 
which  he  had  experienced.  " 

"He  now  has  stepped  behind  the  veil ;   but  he  will  not  bo  a  stranger  there. 


74  COMMUNITY    AT    BUSRO. 

for  many  of  those  whom  he  has  led  into  the  higher  life  and  who  have  gone 
before  him  will  stand  ready  with  celestial  greetings,  welcoming  him  to  the 
kingdom  of  Him  whose  servant  he  was.  His  own  people  loved  and  revered 
him,  and  the  world  honored  and  respected  him.  The  Louisville  Courier- 
Journal,  when  printing  his  farewell  sermon  in  August  last,  spoke  of  him  as 
'one  of  the  purest  and  best  of  men.'  Can  a  nobler  epitaph  than  that  be 
written  of  any  man  ?  "' 


CHAPTER   XII. 

COMMUNITY  AT  BUSRO— INDIAN^  RAIDS— WAR— SHAKERS  DRAFTED— 
BILL  PASSED  FOR  THEIR  RELIEF. 

AS  an  outcome  of  the  Kentucky  revival,  a  Community  of  Shakers  wr.s 
established  for  a  time  in  the  ^^llage  of  Busro,  on  the  Wabash  river,  a  set- 
tlement on  the  extreme  frontier,  then  the  Indian  Territory.  In  1811  the  Be- 
lievers at  Mount  Lebanon  sent  out  to  this  distant  post  Issachar  Bates,  Arch- 
ibald Meacham,  and  others,  as  missionaries.  On  their  arrival,  in  the  spring 
of  the  same  year,  they  found  some  two  hundred  persons  believers  in  the  faith 
of  Ann  Lee.  Issachar  and  Archibald  immediately  began  the  work  of  organiz- 
ing a  Shaker  Society  in  this  wilderness.  They  vigorously  laid  the  axe  at  the 
root  of  the  trees  enlarging  the  clearing  which  had  already  been  started,  ploughed 
the  laud,  planted  seed,  built  log  houses,  and  in  the  fall  were  rewarded  by  a 
plentiful  harvest,  which  was  readily  disposed  of  in  the  surrounding  district, 
often  in  gifts  to  many  unfortunates  suffering  for  want  of  food.  During  the 
winter  and  spring,  a  saw  and  grist  mill  were  in  process  of  erection ;  mean- 
while, some  one  hundred  and  fifty  others  had  joined  the  Society  and  every- 
thing was  progressing  favorably  for  the  Shaker  settlement,  when  the  rumors 
of  an  Indian  war  broke  upon  the  serenity  of  the  followers  of  Mother  Ann. 

General  William  Henry  Harrison  was  the  governor  of  the  Indiana  Terri- 
tory, and  to  him  had  been  intrusted  the  control  of  all  Indian  affairs  by  Presi- 
dent Madison.  Matched  against  General  Harrison  was  the  proud  and  defiant 
Tecumseh,  the  head  chief  of  aU  the  Indian  tribes. 

As  a  precautionary  measure,  Governor  Harrison  called  out  the  militia,  and 
the  Shaker  Community  were  notified  to  join  the  army  at  once,  which  sum- 
mons, as  followers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  they  willfuUy  disregarded.  In  the 
meantime  the  lordly  Tecumseh  had  been  summoned  to  appear  before  His  Ex- 
cellency Governor  Harrison,  at  Vincennes.  Tecumseh,  with  a  large  follow- 
ing of  his  warriors,  appeared  in  person  before  the  Governor,  disclaiming  any 
intention  of  war  against  the  whites.  And  so  the  counsel  came  to  an  end,  with 
the  only  result  of  a  deep  distnist  on  both  sides.  Farms  were  abandoned,  and 
there  was  a  general  flocking  into  the  forts  by  the  people,  who  believed  an  In- 
dian war  was  imminent. 


INDIAN    RAIDS.  75 

About  the  middle  of  June,  a  party  of  Indians  visited  the  Shakers,  bringing 
a  quantity  of  farming  tools  with  them  to  be  repaired.  Elder  Issachar,  fear- 
ful of  a  condemnation  by  the  Governor  if  the  work  was  done  without  his  per- 
mission, wrote  to  him  for  instructions,  and  received  in  reply  that  no  smith- 
work  whatever  should  be  done  for  the  Indians ;  only  to  feed  them  weU  and 
treat  them  kindly.  The  Indians  were  greatly  disappointed  at  this  turn  in  af- 
fau-s,  and  declared  they  had  no  thought  of  war.  As  they  were  accompanied 
by  their  wives  and  children,  it  would  appear  that  there  w^as  a  measure  of  tnith 
in  their  assertion  :  '  'We  don't  take  our  squaws  with  us  when  we  are  on  the 
war  path."' 

For  nearly  a  month,  some  two  hundred  of  the  redskins  were  encamped 
near  the  Shaker  settlement,  and  as  they  behaved  very  peaceably,  and  took 
their  departure  without  making  a  single  inroad  upon  the  property  of  the 
Shaker  fraternity,  it  lent  color  to  the  report  that  the  Shakers  were  in  league 
with  the  Indians  for  the  expulsion  of  the  whites.  This  was  further  strength- 
ened by  the  absolute  refusal  of  the  Shakers  to  take  up  arms  against  the  In- 
dians, and  led  some  of  the  more  hot-headed  opposers  of  Shakerism  to  de- 
clare that  Elder  Issachar  and  his  followers  were  at  the  bottom  of  all  the 
trouble,  and  should  be  banished  forthwith  from  the  territory.  In  the  very 
height  of  all  this  excitement,  a  malarial  fever  of  malignant  type  broke  out 
among  the  Brethren,  which  prostrated  a  very  large  number  of  them.  A 
strolling  band  of  Indians  improved  this  opportunity  to  secure  a  valuable 
team  of  horses  belonging  to  the  Shakers,  and  one  night  crept  down  to  the 
stable  and  captured  the  best  four-horse  team  in  all  that  section,  and  made 
off  with  them.  The  Shakers  were  loath  to  lose  so  many  valuable  horses 
without  an  effort  for  their  recovery,  so  a  couple  of  the  Brethren,  with  one 
Capt.  Robbins,  a  friendly  world's  man,  followed  up  the  Indian  trail  for 
nearly  a  hundred  miles,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  the  horses  and  started 
on  their  return  trip.  They  had  proceeded  less  than  ten  miles  when  they 
were  overtaken  by  the  same  Indians,  who  not  only  recaptured  the  four  horses, 
but  took  with  them  the  three  that  Abraham,  James  and  Capt.  Robbins 
had  ridden  in  their  journe3^  Capt.  Robbins  was  indignant  that  his  compan- 
ions would  willingly  submit  to  such  treatment  without  fighting  for  their 
rights,  and  he  implored  them  strongly  to  allow  him  to  hold  the  "red  devils" 
at  bay,  but  to  no  puipose ;  they  would  only  answer  him,  "Nay,  nay,  friend 
Robbins,  we  must  not  commit  so  grievous  a  sin." 

Whether  or  not  Abraham  and  James  met  with  a  change  of  heart,  on  this 
particular  point,  during  their  long  and  tedious  journey  on  foot  homeward, 
Capt.  Robbins  never  knew,  and  neither  did  he  feel  particularly  comforted 
with  the  rejoicing  of  the  Elders  over  their  safe  return,  and  all  because  they 
had  so  rigidly  obeyed  the  injunction  "not  to  fight  under  any  circumstances.' 

However,  this  affair  tended,  in  a  measure,  to  relieve  the  Shakers  from  the 
stigma,  under  which  they  were  resting,  that  they  were  in  league  with  the  lu- 


7()  SHAKERS    DRAFTED. 

diaiis  for  the  overthrow  of  the  whites,  as  it  was  seen  that  the  Indians  were 
no  respecters  of  persons  in  their  raids. 

By  the  middle  of  September,  the  advance  troops  under  General  Harrison 
began  to  arrive  at  Busro,  and  a  company  of  cavalry  and  two  of  infantry 
were  quartered  in  the  Shaker  Village.  The  Elder's  house  was  used  as  a 
store-house  by  the  commissary,  and  the  back  door-yard  appropriated  as  a 
slaughter  pen,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  Elders ;  and  to  crown  it  all  the 
beating  drums  and  piercing  fifes,  turned  the  heretofore  peaceful  settlement 
into  a  camp  of  war.  Many  of  the  Shakers  were  drafted  into  the  service, 
while  all  were  required  to  do  military  duty,  and  for  their  non-attendance  were 
mulcted  with  fines.  Matters  were  going  very  hard  against  these  Brethren  of 
peace,  w^heu  Capt.  Boyd,  with  five  hundred  regulars  from  Boston,  Mass.,  ar- 
rived. He  at  once  interceded  in  behalf  of  the  persecuted  Shakers,  saying 
that  he  knew  them  at  the  East  to  be  of  the  best  of  people  in  the  commu- 
nity. About  the  same  time.  Col.  Da\is  arrived  with  a  troop  of  cavalry  from 
Kentucky.  He  being  well  acquainted  with  the  Pleasant  Hill  Shakers  in  that 
State,  was  also  friendly  to  them  here,  and  joined  Col.  Boyd  in  his  efforts  to 
relieve  the  Shakers  from  doing  military  duty. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  Gen.  Harrison  himself  arrived,  when  all  of  the 
drafted  Shakers  were  ordered  to  report  for  duty  at  twelve  o'clock.  By  the 
advice  of  Col.  Davis,  who  was  a  lawyer,  the  Shaker  Elders  called  upon  Gen- 
eral Harrison  and  made  known  to  him  their  situation,  and  it  was  finally  ar- 
ranged that  the  Shakers  might  remain  in  camp  at  their  settlement  and  be  de- 
tailed as  hospital  nurses,  and  such  of  the  soldiery  as  were  sick,  were  left  be- 
hind under  their  care,  while  on  the  28th  the  army  took  up  their  march  north- 
ward to  meet  the  foe. 

It  was  not  until  the  5th  of  November  that  the  famous  battle  of  Tippeca- 
noe was  fought,  and  in  which  General  Harrison  routed  the  brave  Tecumseh 
and  laid  in  waste  his  town  and  all  therein. 

Some  years  after  this  event,  owing  to  the  continued  unhealthy  condition 
of  Busro,  arising  from  the  malarial  banks  of  the  "Wabash,  the  Shakers  aban- 
doned their  settlement,  removing  to  Ohio  and  Kentucky. 

After  General  Harrison's  defeat  of  the  British  in  Canada,  he  retired  to  the 
State  of  Ohio,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  there  in  1821,  at  which 
time  he  presented  a  petition  for  the  relief  of  the  Shakers  in  that  state  from 
military  duty,  substituting  for  them  three  day's  work  on  the  highway,  in 
place  of  the  three  days  of  military  duty,  all  able-bodied  men  were  obliged  to 
perform.  This  measure  he  advocated  in  four  able  speeches  before  the 
House,  and  it  was  largely  due  to  his  influence  that  the  bill  was  passed. 

At  the  present  time,  the  Shaker  Societies  have  Communities  at  Union  Vil- 
lage, White  Water  and  Watervliet,  Ohio  ;  Pleasant  Hill  and  South  Union, 
Kentucky. 


Eldkp:ss,   ^fARY  p.  Vance. 


81 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MAINE— JOHN  COTTON— "NEW  LIGHTS"— "'MEERY  DANCEES"— 

"COME-OUTEES"— "NEW-LIGHT  BAPTISTS"— ELDEESSES 

MARY  P.  VANCE  AND  MAEY  A.  W.   GILLISPIE. 

rr^HE  history  of  the  establishment  of  the  Shakers  iu  the  State  of  Maine 
-JL  is  akin  to  that  of  Kentucky,  and  there  originated  in  the  person  of  one 
John  Cotton,  a  son  of  John  Cotton  whose  name  is  mentioned  in  the  history 
of  the  town  of  Gorham.  John  Cotton  settled  in  Alfred,  Me.,  about  the 
year  1781.  He  married  Eleanor  Coffiu,  a  daughter  of  Simeon  Coffin,  who  is 
said  to  have  been  the  first  white  man  to  penetrate  the  forest  of  what  was 
then  called  by  the  Indians,  Massabesic,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  an  Indian 
wigwam,  which  then  stood  near  the  site  of  the  present  Shaker  house  of 
worship  in  Alfred. 

At  the  tune  of  John  Cotton's  advent  iu  Alfred,  an  extensive  revival  of  re- 
ligion was  prevailing  in  the  western  part  of  that  State,  also  in  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts.  The  nature  of  the  revival  partook 
much  of  the  form  of  Second  Adventism,  and  many  of  the  converts  announc- 
ed the  speedy  coming  of  Christ,  the  day  of  judgment,  and  the  millennium  as 
being  at  hand.  Nearly,  if  not  quite,  all  of  the  subjects  were  impelled  to  ex- 
press their  enthusiasm  in  singing  and  dancing,  shaking  off  the  fetters  of  the 
set  forms  and  creeds  of  the  old  established  churches,  to  make  room  for  the 
"new  light"  which  they  proclaimed  as  about  to  dawn  upon  the  earth.  By  the 
unbelieving  portion  of  the  community,  these  religious  enthusiasts  yrere 
known  by  the  name  of  "New  Lights,"  "Merry  Dancers,"  "Come-outers," 
and  "New-Light  Baptists,"  by  which  latter  name  they  became  to  be  known 
wherever  they  had  an  existence.  To  this  order  John  Cotton  attached  him- 
self in  1781,  and  became  a  very  zealous  member. 

In  1783,  John  Cotton  caught  the  emigration  fever  then  so  prevalent  for 
settling  in  Vermont.  With  John  Coffin  as  a  companion,  the  two  started  out 
on  foot  to  make  a  new  home  for  themselves  in  that  State.  Their  long  tramp 
led  them  through  the  towns  of  Canterbury  and  Enfield,  N.  H.  Here,  much 
to  John's  sui'prise,  he  found  more  of  the  New- Light  Baptists.  At  Enfield  he 
tarried  for  a  few  days  with  one  of  the  advanced  brothers  in  the  new  light 
doctrine,  one  James  Jewett,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  who  had  adopted  the  faith 
of  the  Mother  Ann  proselytes  from  Mt.  Lebanon.  Among  the  many  things 
which  farmer  James  sought  to  impress  upon  his  Christian  guest,  was  the  utter 
impossibility  of  living  a  pure,  Christ-like,  virgin  life,  in  a  state  of  malrimo- 


82  PILGRIMAGE    TO    NISKEYUNA. 

11}'.  John  tells  us  that  this  so  worked  upon  his  uiiud,  that  he  became  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  it,  and  then  and  there  made  a  confession  of  his  sins  to 
James.  John  has  also  left  his  testimony,  that,  one  morning  after  breakfast, 
when  seated  with  James,  talking  upon  this  subject,  he  was  raised  from  his 
chair  by  an  all-controlling  power  and  spun  round  like  a  top  for  the  space  of 
half  an  hour,  when  he  was  whirled  through  the  open  door  and  down  to  the 
waters  of  Mascoma  Lake,  some  rods  distant,  and  then  was  whirled  back 
again  with  the  same  force  and  landed  in  the  same  chair  he  was  taken  from. 
This  event,  he  says,  he  regarded  as  a  seal  to  his  faith  and  a  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  which  he  determined  to  keep  to  the  end  of  his  days,  and  decided 
him  to  return  to  Alfred,  which  he  did  without  delaj\  On  arriving  at  his 
house,  he  related  his  remarkable  experience,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
missionaries  from  Mt.  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  Enfield,  N.  H.,  and  Hancock,  Mass., 
who  soon  followed  him. 

Meetings  were  held  in  Alfred,  Lyman,  Waterborough,  Gorham,  Windliam, 
New  Gloucester,  Poland  and  Fahnouth,  in  what  was  then  the  Province  of 
Maine. 

In  1784,  a  company  from  Gorham  and  New  Gloucester  (Sabbath-Day 
Pond)  chartered  a  small  vessel  at  Portland,  called  "The  Shark,"  to  go  to 
New  York,  thence  up  the  Hudson  river  to  Albany,  with  the  avowed  object  of 
visiting  Mother  Ann  and  the  Elders  at  Niskeyuna.  Thirteen  Pjrethreu  and 
twelve  Sisters  constituted  the  party  for  the  pilgrimage,  which  was  undertaken 
in  the  month  of  August,  and  safely  accomplished,  although  they  encountered 
a  severe  storm  on  their  return  trip,  on  the  evening  of  Sept.  7th,  just  outside 
of  New  York  harbor,  which  nearly  resulted  in  then-  destruction,  but  from 
which  they  happily  escaped  without  loss.  Later  on,  in  the  same  month,  a 
company  of  ten  Brethren  and  Sisters  accomplished  the  same  journey  on 
horseback.     The  Society  at  Alfred,  Me.,  was  organized  in  March,  1793. 

Doubtless,  residing  in  the  city  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  there  are  many  fashion- 
able women  who  will  recall  to  mind,  in  the  cut  displayed  though  disguised  in 
the  garb  of  a  Sister  Shaker,  the  pleasant  face  and  affable  manner  of  one 
who,  twenty-five  years  ago,  was  at  the  head  of  the  millinery  establishment  of 
one  of  the  leading  firms  in  that  city,  Mary  P.  Vance,  now  the  senior  El- 
dress  on  the  Board  of  Elders  in  the  Church  Family  of  the  United  Society 
of  Believers,  commonly  called  Shakers,  at  Alfred,  Me. 

She  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lebanon,  York  County,  Me.,  on  the  16th  of 
November,  1845,  the  daughter  of  Shubael  B.  and  Abigail  (Hussey)  Vance, 
and  a  grand-daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  William  Vance,  of  Readfield,  Me. 
He  was  a  large  land-holder  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  State,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  convention  for  forming  the  constitution  of  Maine,  after  its  sepa- 
ration from  Massachusetts. 

At  eight  years  of  age,  Mary's  parents  removed  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  where 


Eldress  Mary  A.  Gillis'pie. 


ELr>RESS    MARY    A.    GILLISPIE.  85 

she  received  her  education  iu  the  public  schools  until  she  arrived  at  the  age 
of  fifteen,  when  she  entered  one  of  the  leading  millinery  establishments  of 
Lowell,  to  learn  that  business,  where  she  remained  until  October  of  the  year 
1864  ;  the  last  two  years  as  the  manager  of  that  department. 

On  several  occasions  before  she  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  she  made  visits 
to  her  brother,  John  B.  Vance,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Shakers 
at  Alfred,  Me ;  and  now  an  Elder  in  the  Church  Family  of  that  body,  and 
upon  each  occasion  expressed  a  great  and  growing  desire  to  join  the  fraternity. 

This  was  most  strenuously  opposed  by  her  mother,  who  fondly  desired  her 
to  remain  with  them  iu  Lowell  and  to  accept  the  attentions  of  a  young,  es- 
timable gentleman  who  sought  her  hand  in  marriage. 

But  iu  the  month  of  October,  1864,  she  decided  to  sever  her  very  pleasant 
connections  in  Lowell  and  join  the  Shakers,  towards  whom  she  had  been  so 
strongly  drawn  by  the  feeling  that  in  no  other  way  could  she  satisfy  the 
craving  demands  of  her  conscience.  So,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  consecrat- 
ing her  little  all  to  God  and  the  good  of  humanity,  she  joined  the  Society  of 
Believers  at  Alfred,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Elders  there,  of  which  she  is  now  the  senior  Sister. 

We  are  indebted  to  venerable  Bishop  Harvey  Eads,  of  South  Union,  Ky., 
for  the  original  of  this  excellent  likeness  of  Sister  Mary  Vance.  Bishop 
Eads,  in  his  communication,  says :  "I  send  her  photograph,  because  it  is  the 
best  representation  of  Shaker  costume  of  any  in  my  album." 

The  late  Mary  Ann  Gillispie,  who  was  long  an  associate  on  the  same  board 
with  Sister  Mary  P.  Vance,  will  also  be  remembered  by  many  of  those  who 
have  visited  the  Shakers  in  Alfred.  She  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  on 
the  9th  of  June,  1829.  Her  father,  Joseph  Gillispie,  was  an  English  sea 
captain ;  her  mother,  Mary  Ann  (Wendall)  Gillispie,  died  when  her  daugh- 
ter was  but  four  years  of  age,  leaving  her  in  the  care  of  a  kind  friend,  who 
was  as  a  mother  to  her  until  she  arrived  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  when  the 
failing  health  of  her  adopted  mother  resulted  in  the  removal  of  the  child  to 
be  further  cared  for  by  the  Shakers  iu  Canterbury,  N.  H.  Here  her  spiritu- 
ality and  amiability  soon  won  for  her  the  position  of  caretaker  for  a  company 
of  little  girls.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  she  had  advanced  to  the  position 
of  one  of  the  presiding  Elders  over  the  Novitiate,  or  North  Family,  as  it  was 
then  called.  After  eight  years  of  faithful  service  here,  she  was  still  further 
advanced  as  the  assistant  to  Hester  Ann  Adams  on  the  board  of  Elders  of 
the  Ministry,  at  Alfred  and  New  Gloucester,  Me.  Here,  for  twenty-seven 
years  she  faithfully  sei-ved  this  people,  until  her  labors  on  earth  ceased,  on 
the  15th  of  April,  1887.  Of  her  it  was  well  said  that  during  all  these  years 
she  was  an  able  minister  of  the  truth,  her  life  emphasizing  her  teachings,  her 
heart  so  filled  with  the  love  of  humanity  that  very  many  outside  of  the  pale 
of  Shakerism  felt  her  loss  iu  the  Community. 


86 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

SHAKER    MISSION     INTO     MAINE— ALFRED  COMMUNITY— BOYHOOD 
VANITY  OF  FATHER  JOHN  BARNES— "THOMPSON'S  POND  PLAN- 
TATION"—NEW  GLOUCESTER  COMMUNITY— "THE  RANG"— 
SABBATHDAY  LAKE— POLAND  MINERAL  SPRINGS- 
GREAT  LONGEVITY  OF  THE  SHAKERS. 

FATHER  JAMES  WHITTAKER  made  his  first  and  ouly  visit  into  the 
State,  or  what  was  then  called  the  Province  of  Maine,  in  the  summer  of 
1785.  He  was  accompanied  by  Elders,  Henry  Clough,  Job  Bishop,  Eleazer 
Rand  and  PLbenezer  Cooley.  Their  mission  was  extended  as  far  east  as  Gor- 
ham.  Meetings  were  held  all  along  the  route,  and  large  audiences  gathered 
to  hear  the  Shaker  doctrine  expounded.  Often  a  spirit  of  opposition  mani- 
fested itself  against  Eather  James,  who  was  not  mild  in  denouncing  the  sins 
of  the  flesh,  which  irritated  in  no  small  degree  a  majority  of  those  present. 

On  one  occasion,  when  preaching  a  very  plain  and  pointed  sermon  at  Gor- 
ham,  Father  James  was  inten-upted  several  times  by  the  village  black  and 
white  smith,  one  Richard  Pxlwards,  who,  being  a  man  of  powerful  frame,  was 
regarded  by  the  populace  as  the  champion  of  all  their  rights ;  and  perhaps, 
somewhat  in  the  character  of  the  blustering  bully  of  the  neighborhood,  he 
sought  to  strike  terror  into  the  heart  of  James  by  his  frequent  inten-uptions. 
But  there  generally  comes  a  time  in  the  life  of  every  man  of  this  stamp  when 
he  stands  aghast  at  the  temerity  of  some  less  stalwart  individual,  and  bows 
his  head  in  shame,  as  did  Edwards  on  this  occasion,  when  the  brave  old  sea 
captain,  John  Stevenson,  commanded  him  to  sit  down.  "Sit  down,  Ed- 
wards," he  said,  "hold  your  tongue,  and  let  this  man  preach.  You  may 
know  how  to  make  a  plow,  or  an  ox  yoke,  but,  hang  me,  if  you  know  how  to 
preach.  We  came  to  hear  this  man  Whittaker  preach,  not  to  listen  to  your 
silly  gabble."  Every  one  present  felt  that  the  old  captain  spoke  to  be  obeyed, 
and  there  was  no  more  disturbance. 

From  Gorham  Father  James  returned  to  Alfred,  a  few  miles  distant,  and 
from  thence,  shortly  after,  to  the  Societies  in  Massachusetts. 

The  first  house  built  for  public  worship  in  Alfred  by  the  Shakers,  was 
raised  in  the  smnmer  of  1786,  but  it  was  never  wholly  finished.  Twelve 
rough-hewn  beams,  twelve  inches  square,  cut  from  the  clearest  of  pine  tim- 
ber, were  exposed  to  view  overhead. 

The  Shaker  Society  at  Alfred,  Me.,  was  organized  in  March,  1793,  under 
the  charge  of  Father  John  Barnes,  of  Alfred ;  Elder  Robert  McFarland,   of 


tl- 


I 


FATHER    JOHN    BARNES.  89 

Gorham  ;  Mother  Sarah  Kendall  and  Eldress  Lucy  Prescott,  both  of  Har- 
vard, Mass.  These  two  Sister  Shakers  rode  in  the  saddle — which  was  the 
almost  universal  mode  of  travel  at  that  date — from  Harvard  to  Alfred,  and 
were  the  fii-st  Shaker  Sisters  to  visit  the  Province  of  Maine.  On  leaving  Har- 
vard, they  were  presented  with  the  horses,  saddles  and  bridles,  and  bidden 
God  speed  by  those  left  behind. 

Of  the  worldly  vanity  of  Father  John  Barnes  in  his  younger  days,  a  good 
story  is  still  extant.  It  is  said  that  upon  one  occasion,  when  Mother  Ann 
and  the  Elders  were  on  a  visit  at  Harvard,  Mass.,  from  their  home  at  Niske- 
yuna,  John  was  very  eager  to  meet  with  Mother  Ann,  and  so  strong  was  the 
desire  that  he  made  the  journey  on  horseback  from  Alfred  to  Harvard  for 
that  purpose.  Arriving  at  Hai-vard,  he  put  up  at  the  village  inn  and  retired 
to  a  room,  from  which  he  shortly  emerged  dressed  in  broadcloth,  knee-breech- 
es, long  black  stockings  with  silver  buckles,  a  profusion  of  lace  and  ruffles  in 
his  shirt  bosom  and  cuffs,  with  a  blue  silk  stock  about  his  neck,  alow  crowned 
fur  hat  on  his  head,  with  a  walking-stick  in  his  hand,  and  sallied  forth,  bent 
upon  making  the  striking  impression  upon  Mother  Ann  that  in  hmiself  was 
embodied  the  elements  of  true  Shakerism. 

Arriving  at  the  house  to  which  he  had  been  directed,  just  as  a  Brother 
Shaker  was  emerging  therefrom,  he  inquired  if  the  "Lady  Elect"  was  within. 
The  brother  gazed  on  him  from  head  to  foot  with  amazement.  At  last,  find- 
ing his  tongue,  he  replied:  "I  presume  the  woman  to  whom  thou  hast  made 
reference  is  within.  If  thou  desirest  to  see  her,  walk  up  to  the  door  and 
knock." 

As  he  halted  upon  the  steps  and  stooped  to  brush  the  dust  from  his  well- 
polished  boots  with  his  silk  kerchief,  Mother  Ann  came  to  the  door.  With  a 
scornful  glance,  she  said :  '  'You  proud  and  haughty  young  man,  kneel  where 
you  are,  humble  yourself  before  your  God,  and  pray  to  Him  to  give  you  a 
spirit  of  humility."  John,  completely  overcome  by  the  force  of  her  rebuke, 
which  he  felt  most  keenly,  sank  upon  his  knees,  profusely  apologizing  for  his 
vanity. 

Realizing  that  John  was  sincere  in  his  desire  for  reformation.  Mother  Ann 
in\nted  him  into  the  house,  and  cared  for  him  as  for  a  son.  He  prolonged 
his  visit  for  several  days.  Meanwhile,  making  his  confession  to  Eider  Wil- 
liam Lee,  he  became  established  in  the  simple  faith  of  Shakerism. 

In  the  early  days  of  Shakerism  at  Alfred,  Me.,  very  many  of  the  converts 
claimed  the  power  of  healing  the  sick  and  of  prophes^ang,  all  of  which,  no 
doubt,  confirmed  the  people  in  their  faith  and  added  many  to  the  Church. 
As  an  instance  of  their  enthusiasm,  a  case  is  cited  in  which  one  William  Na- 
son,  a  very  upright  and  conscientious  man,  felt  caUed  upon  to  warn  the  peo- 
ple to  keep  the  fear  of  God  constantly  before  their  eyes,  marched  in  the  road 
which  encompassed  Massabesic  Lake,  a  distance  of  some  fou)'  miles,  repeat- 
ing at  frequent  intervals  :  '  'Woe  !  woe  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  !  Touch 
not  my  anointed,  and  do  my  good  prophets  no  hann." 


90  THE    CHURCH    AT    ALFRED. 

It  was  not  an  nucommou  thiug  for  the  world's  people  to  overhear  iu  the 
early  morning  one  Shaker  brother  salute  his  nearest  Shaker  neighbor  with  the 
words,  "More  love,  brother  David,"  and  then  for  the  person  addressed  to  re- 
ply, "More  love,  brother  William."  Then  a  more  distant  Shaker  brother, 
hearing  the  salutation,  w^ould  take  up  the  refrain,  "More  love,  brother  John," 
until  for  a  long  distance  the  air  would  resound  with  the  Shaker  melody  as  it 
came  from  scores  of  the  devoted  followers  of  Ann  Lee. 

To-day  the  Shaker  Community  at  Alfred,  Me.,  have  in  their  possession 
some  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  beautifully  situated  on  very  elevated 
ground,  known  as  Shaker  Hill.  Upon  the  top  of  this  hill  stands  the  little 
Shaker  Village  consisting  of  about  twenty-four  old-fashioned  farm  houses, 
most  of  them  having  been  built  nearly  one  hundred  years  ago.  They  are  in 
excellent  repair,  each  buUdiug  standing  by  itself,  with  an  exteusive  green  lawn 
stretching  out  on  all  sides.  One  line  of  these  houses  is  fronting  on  the  main 
street,  w^hUe  another  straight  row  stands  in  the  rear.  This  Society  is  divided 
into  what  are  called  two  families,  containing  in  all  about  seventy-five  persons. 

Elder  John  B.  Vance  is  the  recognized  head  of  this  Societ3\  While  their 
occupation  is  mostly  that  of  tUling  the  land,  every  needful  occupation  for  then- 
support  is  carried  on  in  the  village.  They  have  a  fine  stream  of  w^ater  which 
courses  through  the  valley  below,  on  which  stands  the  mill  which  grinds  the 
grain  harvested  from  the  large  acreage  under  cultivation. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Shaker  Society  in  Alfred,  Me.,  in  1793,  the 
meeting  house  of  1786  was  found  to  be  inadequate  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  Believers,  and  a  more  commodious  one  was  built,  after  the  model  of  the 
Mount  Lebanon  Church,  the  same  being  finished  in  1794,  and  stands  to-day 
as  a  monument  of  the  dispensation  granted  by  Father  Joseph  Meacham  in 
these  words:  "If  you,  as  a  people,  believe  it  to  be  your  duty  to  build  a 
house  to  meet  in,  as  you  have  signified,  you  have  liberty,  according  to  the 
same  order  and  covenant  our  own  here  in  New  Lebanon  was  built."  The 
conditions  were  as  follows  : 

1.  That  it  should  be  built  by  free  contributions.  No  one  must  be  asked 
to  give  anything ;  all  donations  must  be  made  freely,  and  as  a  matter  of  their 
own  faith,  and  by  their  gift  no  one  must  be  brought  into  debt  or  blame  on 
account  of  their  donation.  God  required  of  no  man  more  than  he  was  able 
to  do  in  justice,  thus  leaving  it  to  every  Brother  to  be  the  judge  of  his  own 
circumstances. 

2.  That  it  should  be  done  by  a  joint  union  and  agreement  with  each  other. 

3.  As  the  house  was  to  be  for  religious,  and  not  for  common  use,  none 
should  hold  a  right  of  government  in  the  house  by  "sartue  of  what  they  had 
done,  but  by  Church  order,  the  property  being  changed  from  a  private  to  a 
public  use,  is  consecrated  to  the  Lord.  It  shall  be  the  privilege  of  all  that 
believe,  and  are  holden  in  union,  according  to  their  opportunity,  to  assemble 
therein,  one  day  in  seven,  for  the  public  worship  of  God.     Any  further  use 


Co 


O 


k 


Thompson's  pond  plantation.  93 

of  the  house  thau  this   must  be  by  order,  as  the  good  of  the  Church  and  So- 
ciety may  require. 

If  all  of  the  chiu'ches  erected  by  other  denominations  were  built  with  the 
same  Christian  spirit,  church  debts  would  be  unknown,  and  the  line  less 
sharply  drawn,  even  if  it  did  not  wholly  disappear,  between  the  rich  and  the 
poor. 

The  new  meeting  house  was  constructed  with  apartments  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Ministry,  which  were  not  only  ample  for  themselves,  but  for 
all  who  might  chance  to  come  from  other  Societies.  Very  many  of  those 
who  had  professed  the  Shaker  faith  in  the  surrounding  towns,  sold  their  pos- 
sessions and  removed  to  Alfred.  Flax  was  raised  by  the  Shakers  every  year 
in  considerable  quantity.  This  .was  carded  and  spun  into  yarn,  and  manu- 
factured into  cloth  by  the  Sisters,  who  occupied  several  rooms  with  their 
spinning-wheels  and  looms,  in  a  building  erected  in  1796  as  a  Sisters'  shop. 
This  workshop  still  stands,  having  been  put  in  thorough  repair  in  1872. 

The  Shaker  Sisters  displayed  no  little  skill  in  their  handicraft,  in  making 
kerchiefs  of  fine  linen,  some  in  white  boi'ders,  and  others  checked  in  blue 
and  white.  Sheep  were  raised  for  their  wool,  and  cotton  was  bought  in 
Portland,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  Sisters  to  work  far  into  the 
night  in  the  carding  and  spinning  of  cotton,  wool  and  flax,  manufacturing 
the  same  into  cloth,  not  only  for  the  use  of  the  Shaker  fraternity,  but  for  the 
general  market.  Even  after  the  introduction  of  machinery  in  Rhode  Island 
for  the  making  of  cotton  yarn,  merchants  in  Portland  would  supply  the  Soci- 
ety with  the  yarn,  which  the  Sisters  would  weave  into  cloth  at  a  certain  price 
per  yard. 

The  old  meeting  house  of  1786,  was  transformed  into  a  workshop  for  the 
men,  who  there  manufactured,  on  quite  a  large  scale,  tubs,  pails,  churns, 
spinning-wheels,  and  other  articles  of  a  domestic  nature. 

The  establishment  of  the  Shaker  Society  at  New  Gloucester,  Me.,  was 
brought  about  by  the  advent  of  Elisha  Pote,  Nathan  Merrill  and  Joseph 
Stone,  who  came  from  Gorham,  Me.,  in  the  month  of  November,  1782,  into 
what  was  then  called  "Thompson's  Pond  Plantation,"  and  tarried  at  the 
house  of  one  Gowan  Wilson,  senior,  where  they  held  meetings  and  expound- 
ed the  doctrine  of  Shakerism  to  those  who  gathered  in  to  learn  of  the  new  and 
strange  religion  from  the  lips  of  Elisha  Pote  whose  gift  of  oratory  had  spread 
well  over  that  sparsely  settled  community. 

These  meetings  consisted  of  singing,  preaching  and  dancing,  and  a  gener- 
al invitation  was  extended  to  all  present  to  unite  with  them  in  the  exercises. 
Among  the  verj'  first  to  avail  themselves  of  this  privilege  were  Dorothy  Pote 
and  Mary  Merrill,  who  simultaneously  became  inspked  with  an  impulse  which 
agitated  them  violently.  They  soon  began  to  turn  swiftly  and  spin  like  tops 
which  was  continued  for  the  space  of  an  hour,  much  to  the  amazement  of  the 
Gentiles  who  were  present. 


1)4  THE    RANG. 

This  influence  rapidly  spread  among  the  people  of  that  neighborhood  and 
very  many  became  proselytes,  regarding  the  ambassadors  as  harbingers  of 
God,  the  doctrine  of  Mother  Ann  Lee  as  the  complete  embodiment  of  the  true 
Christian  religion,  and  that  through  her,  Christ  had  surely  made  his  second 
appearance  on  earth. 

Early  to  embrace  this  faith  were  some  of  the  most  prominent  families  in 
that  section.  Among  the  number  were  Gowan  Wilson,  in  whose  house  the 
meetings  were  held  ;  Nathan,  and  Edmund  and  also  James  Merrill  with  his 
daughter  Mary  ;  Josiah,  Simeon  and  Gershani  Holmes;  Thomas  Pote,  the 
father  of  Elisha  ;  Samuel  Pote,  Elisha's  elder  brother,  with  their  sister  Dor- 
othy ;  Barnabas  and  Ephraim  Briggs  ;  Thomas  Cushman  and  Eliphaz  Ring, 
the  latter  residing  on  "Rang"  Hill,  one  of.  three  hills  lying  side  by  side,  ad- 
jacent to  three  ponds  similarly  situated.  The  hills  and  ponds  ranging  side  by 
side,  this  locality  came  to  be  known  as  the  "Rang,"  the  old  settlers  pronounc- 
ing the  word  as  if  rhyming  with  bang. 

The  first  converts  were  made  on  the  24th  of  November,  1782.  Eliphaz 
Ring  then  owned  the  farm  on  which  is  now  located  the  celebrated  Mineral 
spring  property  of  Hiram  Ricker  and  Sons  in  Poland.  At  first,  these  new 
converts  personally  held  their  own  property,  but,  later  on,  they  adopted  the 
community  scheme  and  held  all  things  in  common.  It  was  from  the  great 
liberality  of  Eliphaz  that  the  Shakers  at  Alfred  became  possessed  of  their 
valuable  water  privilege  and  mills. 

In  1793,  Jabez  Ricker,  the  grandfather  of  Hiram,  the  senior  in  the  firm 
of  the  present  proprietors  of  the  Mineral  spring  property,  exchanged  his 
farm  in  Alfred,  Me.,  where  he  then  resided,  for  the  Ring  property.  Eliphaz, 
with  others,  then  remDved  to  Alfred,  and  was  one  of  the  number  to  assist  in 
establishing  the  Society  there. 

The  organization  of  the  Shaker  Community  in  New  Gloucester  was  ac- 
complished on  the  19th  of  April,  1794,  under  the  leadership  of  Father  John 
Barnes,  from  the  Society  at  Alfred.  His  associates  were  Elder  Robert 
McFarland,  from  Gorham,  Me.,  and  Mother  Sarah  Kendall  and  Eldress  Lu- 
cy Prescott,  from  the  Society  at  Harvard,  Mass.  These  persons  comprised 
the  established  Ministry  for  the  Societies  at  Gorham  and  Alfred,  and  the 
new  organization  at  West  Gloucester,  the  name  given  to  the  settlement  at 
"Thompson's  Pond  Plantation." 

The  Ministry  appointed  Nathan  Merrill  and  Barnabas  Briggs  as  Trustees 
of  the  West  Gloucester  Society.  Their  first  meeting  house  was  raised  on 
the  fourteenth  of  the  following  June.  The  design  was  after  the  old  Dutch 
style  of  houses  of  worship  then  in  vogue  in  New  York.  The  timber  for  the 
meeting  house  and  central  dwelling  had  been  cut,  drawn  to  the  spot  and 
framed,  some  two  years  previous.  The  twenty  thousand  bricks  in  the  huge 
chimneys  of  the  central  dwelling,  were  made  near  the  foot  of  the  "Pond.'' 
They  were  somewhat  smaller  in  size  than  are  those  of  the  present  day.     All 


^ 


POLAND    SPRING    HOUSE.  97 

the  nails  used  in  the  construction  of  the  tvvo  buildings  were  forged  by  ban  1 
by  one  of  the  Shaker  brothers,  Joseph  Briggs,  a  son  of  Ephraim,  and  his 
young  apprentice.  The  church  building  was  finishe  I  and  ready  for  occu- 
pancy on  Christmas  day  of  that  same  year. 

The  ui'W  organization  was  conipo!-ed  of  irdividuals  of  veiy  n  operate  cir- 
cumstanci  s.  Their  combined  :  cieage  in  huid  formed,  at  first,  but  a  meagre 
means  for  support,  but  by  prudeuc  ■,  industry  and  good  management,  they 
have  succeeded  in  amassing  a  valuable  property,  consisting  of  nearly  two 
thousand  acres  of  land. 

In  18 li),  the  Gorham  Society  removed  to  "Poland  Hill,"  the  first  r.nd 
highest  of  the  "Rong,"  which  is  situated  one  mile  north  of  the  Aevv  Glouces- 
ter Society,  and  united  with  it,  forming  the  Novitiate  Order  for  this  L'om- 
muuity.  This  Society  retained  the  name  of  West  Gloucester,  until  less  than 
three  years  since.  In  1<S90  the  change  was  made  to  that  of  Sabbathday 
Lake.  The  main  reason  for  this  change  was  on  account  of  the  numerous 
blunders  occasioned  by  the  ti-ansmission  of  their  mail,  which  very  often  made 
the  journey  to  West  Gloucester,  Mass.,  before  arriving  at  its  proper  desti- 
nation. 

In  olden  times,  when  the  Indians  were  the  sole  occupants  of  this  s  ction 
of  the  Province  of  Maine,  a  party  of  pale-faced  explorers  came  upon  this 
lovely  spot  in  the  wilderness — the  three  beautiful  sheets  of  water  hidden  at 
the  foot  of  the  tri-mountain  hills,  and  another  larger  sheet  at  the  south-east. 
Being  infatuated  with  the  charming  beauty  of  tlie  place,  lh  y  decide  1  to 
make  this  their  general  camping  ground,  and  on  week-days,  to  range  over 
the  surrounding  country,  camping  at  night  wherever  the  shades  of  evening 
might  overtake  them,  but  on  Sunday  they  were  all  to  meet  on  the  shores  of 
the  larger  pond  for  consultation  and  social  chat.  From  this  circumstance 
the  locality  came  to  be  known  as  "Sabbathday  Pond."  So  when  it  was  de- 
cided to  change  the  name  of  West  Gloucester  Post  Office,  that  of  Sabbath- 
day  Pond  was  suggested.  ''But,  as  Uncle  Sam  was  already  blessed  with  a 
"Sabbathday  Point"  Post  Office,  it  was  thought  that  the  object  sought  in  the 
change  might  be  defeated  by  reason  of  the  great  similarity  of  the  two  names, 
therefore  that  of  Sabbathday  Lake  was  chosen,  which  certainly  has  the  merit 
of  being  more  euphonious,  to  say  the  least,  and  as  no  further  trouble  has 
occurred  in  the  miscarriage  of  the  mails,  the  object  sought  for  has  been  ac- 
complished. 

Two  miles  further  to  the  north  of  this  quiet  Shaker  village  is  the  old  Eli- 
phaz  Ring  farm  and  the  celebrated  Poland  Mineral  Spring,  which  is  now  said 
to  have  one  of  the  largest  and  best  equipped  barreling  and  bottling  establish- 
ments in  the  United  States. 

Situated  upon  the  middle  "Rang"  of  the  three  hills,  upon  the  old  Eliphaz 
Ring  farm  plateau,  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  stands  that 
palace  of  hotels,  "The  Poland  Spring  House,"  in  the  midst  of  some  of  the 


98  CANTERBURY  'COMMUiSTITY.' 

most  beautiful  scenery  for  which  Maine  is  so  noted.  This  Losteh-y,  with  the 
equally  well  known  and  favorite  "Old  Mansion  House,"  has  become  one  of 
the  most  fashionable  of  all  the  New  England  resorts,  and  is  well  filled  in  the 
summer  months  with  a  constant  moving  multitude  who  are  drawn  thither  to 
quaff  of  the  refreshing  and  curative  properties  of  the  mineral  waters  from 
the  Poland  Sjiring  and  feast  from  the  delectable  bounties  of  the  table  our 
host  Ricker  spreads  for  his  guests. 

This  great  influx  of  strangers  is  made  a  source  of  no  little  profit  to  the 
Shakers  of  Sabbathday  Lake,  who  find  at  the  hotels,  and  their  own  village 
store,  a  good  market  for  their  fancy  work  of  "Fir-balsam"  pillows,  filled 
from  the  luxuriant  fir  trees  of  old-growth  pines  which  are  still  standing  on  their 
property ;  for  their  tiny,  whisking  hat  brushes,  made  of  horse-hair,  and  fin- 
ished in  velvet  and  ribbon  of  bright  colors ;  for  their  fancy  Shaker  baskets, 
and  plush  rugs  and  bouquets  of  flowers ;  for  the  thousand  and  one  little  ar- 
ticles so  deftly  made,  and  which  are  carried  away  to  grace  the  homes  of  de- 
parting visitors,  as  mementos  of  the  handiwork  of  this  most  singular  and 
upright  people,  the  Shakers. 

I'hat  the  life  and  habits  of  the  Shakers  are  conducive  to  longevity  has 
been  proved  beyond  cavil.  A  careful  examination  of  the  death  records  at 
Sabbathday  Lake,  covering  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  six  years,  from 
1787  to  1893,  shows  that  the  average  age  attained  by  the  members  ,  of  this 
Community  to  be  fifty-eight  and  one-half  years.  This  great  prolonging  of 
the  average  duration  of  life,  far  beyond  that  of  any  other  class  in  the  world, 
can  not  be  wholly  attributed  to  the  magical  effects  of  the  waters  of  the  Po- 
land medicinal  spring,  notwithstanding  their  close  proximity  to  the  same,  for 
we  find  the  same  conditions  existing — the  same  extension  of  the  span  of 
life — in  every  Shaker  Community  wherever  situated. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CANTERBURY     COMMUNITY CONCORD — WATTANUMMON'S    FIELD- 
DONATION     OF     BENJAMIN     AND     MARY     WHITCHER— FATHER 
JOB    BISHOP— PETER    AYERS— DAVID    PARKER,  TRUSTEE—  - 

ELDER    HENRY  C.  BLINN— Sk.  MARY  WHITCHER. 

THE  Society  of  Shakers  at  Canterbury,  N.  H.,  is  located  on  gracefully 
rising  ground,  overlooking  most  of  the  surrounding  country,  high  up  on 
the  Canterbury  hills,  twelve  miles  north-east  of  that  beautiful  City  of  Elms-^ 
Concord,  the  capital  of  the  State.  - 


CONGOllD.  ■  IH) 

To  a  person  shut  up  within  the  walis  of  city  life,  who  longs  to  breathe  the 
pure  air  of  heaven,  no  more  eujayabie  trip  could  be  planned  for  an  outing 
than  a  ride  over  the  hills  from  Concord  to  Cainterbury.  Passing  out  from  the 
city  between  the  noble  elms  which  line  each  side  of  Main  street,  forming  a 
perfect  arch  in  summer,  to  the  north  end,  or  head  of  Main  street,  by  the  old 
ancient  landn)ark,  the  Rev.  Timothy  Wallver  estate,  the  first  lot  in  the  first 
range  laid  out  in  Penacook*  (Concord,)  in  17*26.  Here  on  the  brow  of 
Horseshoe  Pond  Hill,  lived  Parson  WaU^er,  in  a  log  house,  until  1733-4, 
when  he  built  the  two-story  gambrel-roofed  house,  which  is  said  to  be  the 
oldest  two-story  dwelling  house  between  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  Canada. 
This  house,  with  some  modern  improvement,  still  stands  surrounded  by  the 
stately  elm  trees  set  out  by  Mr.  Walker's  own  hand  in  1756,  and  is  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  great  grandson,  Hon.  Joseph  B.  Walker,  as  his 
residence. 

Passing  these  beautiful  grounds,  we  make  a  sharp  tuiii  to  the  right, 
down  the  hill,  crossing  the  tracks  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Boston  and 
Maine  Eailway  divisions  of  the  Coutoocook  Valley  and  Northern  railroads, 
we  strike  into  the  Interval  road  skirting  Horseshoe  Pond,  once  the  ancient 
bed  of  the  Merrimack  River  now  a  mile  distant. 

At  this  point  we  see  within  the  Horseshoe  vast  acres  of  green  grass  called 
Horseshoe  Island,  and  a  little  further  on  is  AVattanummon's  Field,  still  known 
and  called  such,  after  an  Indian  chief  of  this  name,  who,  at  the  time,  of  the 
arrival  of  the  first  settlers,  was  living  in  a  wigwam  on  the  little  rise  of  ground 
just  over  the  brook,  which  is  the  outlet  of  the  pond  into  the  Merrimack,  and 
over  which  we  are  about  to  cross  by  a  stone  bridge,  called  Wattanummon's 
Bridge. 

A  well  preserved  tradition  respecting  Wattanummon's  dominion  over  this 
field  is  extant,  and  almost  any  old  farmer  in  that  locality  will  tell  you  of  the 
advent  of  Captain  Ebenezer  Eastman  and  his  men,  in  the  summer  of  1726, 
into  Wattanummon's  field  to  cut  the  grass,  when  the  old  Indian  chief  and 
two  of  his  sons  sallied  forth  with  their  gnus  to  prevent  the  trespass.  East- 
man and  his  party,  seeing  the  w^arlike  approach  of  the  land  claimants,  laid 
aside  their  scythes  and  waved  a  flag  of  truce  in  the  shape  of  the  demijohn, 
the  contents  of  which  were  so  well  known  to  the  Indian.  When  within  speak- 
ing distance,  the  brave  Wattanummon  called  out  in  his  broken  English  ; 
"My  land !  my  land !  no  cut !  no  cut !"  and  raised  up  his  gun  as  if  to  shoot. 
Eastman  hastened  to  reply  ;  "Yes,  this  is  your  land — your  grass.  Won't 
you  come  and  take  a  drink  with  me,  and  we  will  talk  it  over?"  The  old  In- 
dian drew  himself  up  with  dignity  as  he  took  the  proffered  cup,    and  said ; 

*  A  powerful  tribe  of  Indians,  known  as  the  Penacooks,  were  found  occupants  of  the  soil 
which  is  now  Concoi'd,  by  the  first  white  explorers  in  that  region  in  1638.  This  territory 
was  known  as  the  Plantation  of  Penacook  from  17'2o  to  1733.  It  was  then  incorporated  as 
the  township  of  Runiford,  which  name  it  retained  until  1765,  when  it  became  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  Concord. 


100  DONATION    OF    BENJAMIN    WHITCHER. 

"Yes,  yes ;  me  drink  first ;"  and  drained  the  cup  to  the  last  drop.  Eastman 
then  poured  out  another  cup  for  one  of  the  sons,  when  the  chief  interposed, 
saying;  "He  little,  he  no  drink;"  and  taking  the  cup,  drank  it  himself,  ex- 
claiming ;  '  'Ugh,  it  good  !  it  good  !  Yes,  my  land  !  my  grass  !  all  mine  ;  ev- 
erything mine  !"  Then,  as  the  warming  contents  of  his  draught  began  to  tell 
upon  his  generous  nature,  he  loftUy  stretched  forth  his  arms,  exclaiming ; 
"My  grass,  all  your  grass !  You  good  white  man,  have  him  all!"  Which 
libei'al  offer  Eastman  hastened  to  bind  with  another  cup  of  rum  from  the  jug, 
which  he  presented  to  the  chief  in  exchange  for  grass. 

Crossing  the  Merrimack  a  little  further  on,  and  the  tracks  of  the  Boston, 
Concord  and  Montreal  Railroad,  we  find  ourselves  in  the  pretty  little  village 
of  East  Concord,  which,  less  than  sixty  years  ago  bid  fair  to  be  the  most 
central  portion  of  the  town,  owing  to  the  manufacturing  interests  then  ex- 
pected to  be  built  by  the  Sewall's  Falls  Locks  and  Canal  Corporation 
which  had  nearly  completed  a  dam  across  the  Merrimack,  and  had  construct- 
ed a  canal  two  miles  in  length  through  this  part  of  the  town.  But  the  failure 
of  the  enterprise  in  the  panic  of  1837,  dashed  the  hopes  and  depleted  the 
pockets  of  some  of  the  strongest  advocates  of  the  scheme,  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  were  willing  to  retii'e  from  the  contest.  However,  recently  the 
subject  of  building  a  dam  across  the  river  at  the  same  spot  has  again  been 
agitated,  and  a  company  has  been  organized,  with  George  F.  Page  as  presi- 
dent to  promote  the  enterprise.  As  Mr.  Page  is  one  of  the  largest  stock-holders 
in  the  company,  and  is  well  known  as  the  very  popular  president  of  the  Page 
Belting  Company  in  Concord,  the  enterprise  is  looked  upon  as  a  pronounced 
success,  and  the  citizens  are  looking  forward  with  much  interest  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Concord  Electrical  Light  Works,  as  well  as  other  manufactur- 
ing interests  in  that  part  of  the  city. 

From  this  point  on,  for  ten  miles  to  the  Shaker  village,  we  pass  up  a  grad- 
ual rise  of  land  until  we  reach  the  Shaker  settlement.  On  the  way,  we  pass 
some  of  the  best  farms  in  the  Granite  State.  The  Shaker  village  itself  has 
a  wonderfully  clean  and  neat  appearance.  The  houses,  church,  school  build- 
ing, workshops,  barns,  stables  and  sheds  are  kept  in  the  best  of  repair,  show- 
ing unmistakable  evidence  in  every  department  that  the  followers  of  Ann 
Lee  are  grounded  in  the  faith  that  "cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness." 

The  Canterbury  Society  was  organized  in  1792,  Benjamin  Whitcher  hav- 
ing generously  donated  his  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  then  val- 
ued at  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  the  Community.  He, 
with  his  wife,  Mary  Shepard,  had  located  at  an  early  date  on  that  spot  in  the 
then  wilderness  of  Canterbury,  on  the  tract  of  land  which  was  purchased  for 
him  by  his  father,  Benjamin  AVhitcher,  in  1774.  It  was  several  years  before 
they  had  any  neighbors — none  within  a  distance  of  several  miles.  In  time  a 
meeting  house  was  built,  located  but  two  miles  from  their  home,  but,  follow- 
ing out  the  established  order  of  those  days,  it  was  of  the  Congregational  de- 


FATHER    JOB    BISHOP.  103 

nomination,  for  the  support  of  which  the  law  of  the  State  taxed  every  family 
whether  they  were  believers  in  the  doctrine  preached  or  not.  The  refusal  of 
any  to  pay  the  taxes  assessed,  was  followed  by  the  visit  of  the  sheriff,  or  his 
deputy,  and  the  seizure  of  any  property  of  the  delinquent  in  sufficient  amount 
to  cover  the  debt  and  all  costs  of  collection,  was  made,  oftentimes  to  the 
great  hardship  of  the  unfortunate.  But  as  this  was  all  done  for  the  promo- 
tion of  the  gospel  and  the  support  of  the  minister,  those  refusing  or  neglect- 
ing this  divine  order  of  things  were  regarded  by  the  established  church  as 
reprobates  of  the  lowest  type. 

We  are  told  that  the  remarkable  revival  of  religion  which  passed  like  a 
tidal  wave  over  the  New  England  States  in  1776,  paved  the  way  for  the  ac- 
ceptance by  Benjamin  and  Mary  Whitcher  of  the  doctrine  of  Mother  Ann  Lee. 

On  the  formation  of  the  Society,  Benjamin  Whitcher  was  appointed  one 
of  the  presiding  Elders,  while  his  wife  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  temporal  interests  of  the  Community. 

Prominent  among  the  founders  of  the  Canterbury  Community  was  Father 
Job  Bishop,  who,  in  1817,  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  President  James 
Monroe  to  the  Enfield  Society,  on  his  tour  through  New  England,  made  him 
this  characteristic  Shaker  speech,  which  has  gone  down  into  history :  "I,  Job 
Bishop,  welcome  James  Monroe  to  our  habitation." 

Associated  with  him  was  the  venerable  Peter  Ayres,  who  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety -seven  in  1857,  and  whose  quaint  donation  to  the  Shak- 
ers is  made  mention  of  on  page  29  ;  also  Elder  Henry  Clough  and  John 
Wadleigh,  the  old  unpensioned  Revolutionary  veteran,  who  was  present  and 
engaged  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775. 
He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  for  five  years ;  was  at  the  surrender  of 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  in  1775,  at  the  surrender  of  Bm-goyne  in  October,  1777  ;  in 
the  Rhode  Island  expedition  of  1778,  and  at  the  surrender  of  Coruwallis,  at 
Yorktowu,  Va.,  October  19,  1781.  But,  true  to  his  Shaker  faith,  which  he 
espoused  in  1789,  he  positively  refused  to  apply  for,  ©r  to  receive,  any  pen- 
sion from  the  government  for  his  services  in  the  army,  to  which  he  was  en- 
titled by  the  laws  of  our  country. 

In  1814,  a  number  of  Shakers  were  drafted  to  perform  military  duty,  but 
refused  to  serve.  They  were  thereupon  arrested  and  brought  to  trial.  They 
pleaded  their  own  cause,  and  so  successfully,  that  all  but  three  were  dis- 
charged. The  three  unfortunates,  in  order  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
law,  were  fined  a  moderate  sum.  Even  this  the  Shakers  refused  to  comply 
with,  solely  on  the  ground  that  it  was  against  the  fundamental  principles 
of  their  religion  to  countenance  war  either  directly  or  indirectly.  For  this 
refusal  to  comply  with  the  laws  of  the  nation  they  suffered  imprisonment. 
However,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  President,  by  special  proclamation,  re- 
mitted the  fines,  and  in  1816  the  State  of  New  York  passed  laws  exempting 
the  Shakers  from  doing  military  duty  in  time  of  peace. 


104  DAVID  PARKER,  TRUSTEE. 

Again,  iu  oiu-  late  Civil  War,  quite  a  large  uuniber  of  Shakers  were  drafted 
for  service,  but  upon  appealing  to  Iresideut  Lincoln  for  exempliou,  au  order 
was  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  "War  furlonghing  them   "until  called  for." 

That  the  Shakers,  collectively  and  individually,  remained  true  to  their  faith, 
may  be  seen  in  the  records  of  the  Pension  Department,  which  show  more  than 
a  hf.lf  million  dollars  now  stand  ng  to  the  credit  of  certain  soldiers  in  the  war 
of  the  Reb(  lliou,  who,  after  the  close  of  the  war  were  made  converts  to  the 
faith  of  Mother  Ann  Lee  and  joinvd  the  Society  of  Shakers,  but  have  re- 
fused to  accept  the  money  standing  to  their  credit,  on  the  ground  that  they 
could  not  stain  their  hands  with  the  proceeds  of  funds  given  as  a  premium  foi'^ 
services  rendered  iu  a  cause  so  foreign  to  their  ideas  of  humility  and  love  to- 
wards all  mankind. 

With  the  Canterbury  (N.  H.)  Society  of  Shakers  I  have  long  been  famil- 
iar. My  earliest  recollections  of  them  date  back  to  my  childhood.  Well 
do  I  remember  the  kindly  face  of  that  genial  prince  of  Shakers,  David 
Parker,  whom  everybody  knew,  as  the  chief  manager  of  the  Community  at 
Shaker  Village  in  Canterbury  ;  of  his  business  visits  upon  my  father  at  some 
seasons  of  the  year  almost  every  week ;  of  his  pleasantly  chucking  me  under 
the  chin  when  a  lad  of  no  more  than  four  years  of  age ;  and  of  his  asking  me  if 
J  didn't  want  to  go  with  him  and  grow  up  a  Shaker.  And  my  memor}-  of  the 
Shakers  becomes  more  vivid  as  I  recall  the  Second  Advent  craze  which  passed 
over  New  England  a  little  later  on,  and  caused  so  large  a  number  of  woithy 
individuals,  believers  iu  the  "Miller  doctrine,"  to  neglect  all  worldly  business 
and  give  themselves  up  solely  to  religious  services ;  of  their  giving  awaj'  all 
their  earthly  possessiv.ns  ;  of  their  assembling  iu  the  old  churchyard  cemtter}^ 
in  Concord,  N.  H,,  on  the  memorable  day  of  the  23d  of  April,  1843,  clothed 
in  white  raiments,  to  witness  the  second  advent  of  the  Sou  of  Man  in  the 
heavens,  and  by  him  to  be  caught  n\)  in  the  air  with  the  rising  "dead  in  the 
Lord,"  as  the  graves  would  open  at  the  blast  of  Gabriel's  trumpet,  and  they 
depart  with  him  to  everlasting  joy,  leaving  behind  the  earth  and  all  things 
earthly  to  be  destroyed  with  unquenchable  fire.  Alas  !  poor  deluded  souls  ! 
the  day  and  night  passed  with  no  unusual  occurrence. 

David  Parker,  iu  his  day,  was  doubtless  one  of  the  most  widely  known  of 
all  the  Shakers.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  industry,  thrift  and  shrewdness, 
but  combined  with  absolute  honesty,  which  stamped  him  with  the  reputation 
of  being  perfectly  reliable  in  every  business  transaction.  He  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  on  thj  12th  of  May,  1807,  and  at  the  early  age  of  ten  was 
admitted  to  the  Shaker  Society  in  Canterbury.  Here  he  received  a  good, 
thorough  and  practical  education.  That  he  improved  his  opportunities,  and 
had  more  than  ordinary  ability,  was  made  manifest  when  nine  years  later,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen,  he  received  the  appointment  of  assistant  trustee.  From 
that  time  till  the  date  of  his  death,  on  the  20th  of  January,  1867,  he  was 
known  as  one  of  the  most  active  and  honorable  business  men  in  the  State. 


Oavid  barker,    Trustee. 


Mary   Whitcr.er,   Trustee. 


trustees'  office.  109 

In  May,  1837,  he  was  appointed  to  the  ministerial  order  of  the  Shakers. 
In  October,  1846,  he  was  again  called  to  lake  charge  of  the  financial  inter- 
ests of  the  Community.  It  was  from  his  efforts  before  the  Legislature  of 
New  Hampshire,  at  Concord,  in  the  summer  of  1848,  that  the  inquisitorial 
arraignment  of  the  Shakers  which  had  been  instigated  by  some  who  at  a  for- 
mer period  had  been  members  of  the  fraternity,  fell  flat.  On  this  occasion 
he  acquitted  himself  as  an  able  advocate  in  defense  of  that  institution,  against 
the  vilest  of  insinuations  as  well  as  the  direct  defamatory  charges  of  his  ac- 
cusers. At  his  urgent  solicitation,  a  committee  of  the  Legislature  was  ap- 
pointed, delegated  with  the  power  to  make  a  most  searching  investigation  in- 
to every  department  of  their  private  life,  sacred  order  and  spiritual  rec- 
ords. This  committee  reported  that  they  had  been  accorded  every  facility 
for  a  most  thorough  investigation  and  that  the  standard  of  morality  among 
the  vShakers  was  of  the  highest  type,  and  they  honorably  acquitted  them  of 
all  the  charges  brought  against  them.  Other  well  known,  prominent  Shakers 
of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  will  be  brought  to  mind,  by  the  residents  of 
New  Hampshire,  on  the  mention  of  the  names  of  such  Shaker  brothers  as 
Francis  Winkley,  Israel  Sanborn,  Caleb  M.  Dyer,  Elder  John  Lyon,  and 
also  of  Thomas  Corbett,  the  originator  of  the  celebrated,  Corbett's  Shaker 
Sarsaparilla,  which  has  been  manufactured  by  the  Society  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  all  of  whom  have  long  since  passed  over  the  river,  but  in 
their  day  and  generation  were  not  surpassed  in  ability,  and  integrity  in  the 
community  by  any  citizens.  To-day,  Shakerism  is  well  represented  by  such 
men  as  Elder  F.  W.  Evans,  the  great  expounder  of  Shaker  doctriuos,  at 
Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  Elders  J.  S.  Kaime,  H.  C.  Bliun,  and  X.  A.  Briggs 
at  Canterbury,  with  many  others  we  might  mention. 

The  Community  of  Shakers  at  Canterbury  consists  of  two  families,  the 
"Church,"  and  the  "Upper,"  or  novitiate  family.  The  name,  "upper"  fam- 
ily is  merely  a  local  application  to  designate  it  as  to  its  situation  in  the 
village. 

In  the  route  from  Concord,  the  Church  Family  is  the  first  reached.  Here 
is  located  the  Trustees'  Office,  the  Post  Office,  the  Printing  Office,  school- 
house  and  church. 

Visitors  alight  at  the  Trustees'  Office,  and  are  ushered  into  a  very  home- 
like reception  room ;  the  floor  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  yellow  paint  and  well 
varnished,  with  here  and  there  rag-braided  carpet  mats  under  the  chairs  and 
for  the  feet ;  a  library  near  at  hand,  well  filled  with  books  ;  a  washstaud,  wa- 
ter and  towels  in  the  corner ;  wooden  blinds  hung  to  the  windows  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  exclude  all  light  or  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  Not  a  fly 
or  an  insect,  apparently,  ever  enters  herein ;  not  a  speck  of  dust  or  dirt,  giv- 
ing to  this  room  a  satisfying  air  of  comfort  truly  refreshing.  And  later  on, 
as  we  visit  the  other  departments  of  the  home  of  this  peculiar  people,  we 
see  everywhere  this  same  degree  of  comfort,  order  and  neatness. 


110  THE    MANIFESTO.. 

The  buildings  are  arranged  on  each  side  of  the  village  street,  enclosed  by 
ueat,  substi^intial  fences.  At  the  Printing  Office,  the  place  of  issue  of  The 
^/run'fefito,  the  Shaker  monthly  magazine,  so  ably  edited  by  Elder  Henry  C. 
Blinu,  we  find  Shaker  maidens  handling  the  type  for  the  next  issue,  with 
the  same  swift  movements  which  are  characteristic  of  the  city  printing  office. 
As  we  enter  the  "editor's  den,"  we  almost  fancy  that  we  have  struck  a  de- 
partme  nt  of  Barnum's  old  museum  once  on  Broadway,  on  the  site  of  the 
Herald  building.  Lying  all  about  the  room,  yet  in  perfect  Shaker  order,  are 
old-fashioned  curiosities  of  every  name  and  description — spinning  looms, 
warming  pans,  clay  pipes  and  smoking  tongs ;  the  old  iron  candlestick  of  the 
past  and  the  brass  ones  of  later  date,  including  the  veritable  old  pitch-pine 
knot,  which  may  have  lighted,  long  ago,  some  poor  old  soul  in  the  way  of 
truth  and  Shakerism.  In  fact,  Polder  Blinn  has  made  and  well  arranged  a 
large  collection  of  the  relics  of  the  past.  His  collection  of  minerals  is  also 
exceedingly  interesting. 

Elder  Henry  C.  Blinn  was  born  in  the  city  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  July  16, 
1824.  He  joined  the  Shakers  at  Canterbm-y  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  He  has 
passed  through  all  the  orders  of  Shakerism,  and  has  been  appointed  to  all  the 
positions  of  trust  that  the  faithful  Shaker  can  be  honored  with  in  that  Com- 
munity. Some  years  ago  he  was  made  the  editor  of  The  Manifesto^  a  month- 
ly magazine,  the  only  periodical  published  by  the  Shakers.  This  posi- 
tion he  still  holds.  The  magazine  is  well  gotten  up,  and  contains  much  in- 
teresting matter,  not  only  to  Shakers,  but  to  the  world's  people. 

The  Shakers  very  early  saw  the  advantages  which  would  accrue  from  la- 
bor-saving devices,  and  their  workshops,  laundries,  dairies  and  kitchen  de- 
partments are  fitted  with  the  very  best  and  latest  improvements  for  making- 
labor  easy.  The  kitchen  of  the  Church  family  at  Canterbury  would  gladden 
the  heart  of  any  housewife  in  the  laud.  In  the  cooking  department^ — in  fact, 
in  every  department  of  female  labor,  the  Sisters  take  their  turns  in  doing  the 
work  each  month,  so  that  continuous  labor  in  any  one  department  does  not 
fall  to  the  lot  of  any  Sister.  For  instance,  the  bakery  is  in  the  charge  of 
two  Sisters,  who  arise  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  have  then-  work  fin- 
ished by  noon.  They  bake  the  bread,  pies,  cake,  and  whatever  else  may  be- 
long to  the  bakery.  Those  who  take  charge  of  the  general  cooking  for  the 
family  are  in  another  part  of  the  house,  and  may  do  all  the  baking  that  comes 
under  their  charge.  At  the  end  of  the  month  they  resign  their  charge  to  two 
other  Sisters,  and  pass  into  another  department,  thus  giving  all  the  Sisters 
an  opportunity  to  become  expert  in  every  department  ot  female  labor. 

In  every  room  where  a  fire  is  needed,  a  wood-box,  built  into  the  wall,  with 
a  trap  door  near  the  stove,  so  that  no  wood  or  dirt  is  to  be  seen,  is  a  feature 
characteristic  of  th6  Shakers.  In  the  large  family  dining-room,  ample  for 
seating  sixty  persons,  is  a  long  table,  with  the  \'inegar  cruets  suspended  over 
the  table,  and  low-backed  chairs — low  enough  to  stand  clear  under  the  table 
M'hen  not  in  use. 


Lucy  Ann  Shefard. 


?(iAr.Y  Avn ITCH !-:;;.  113 

The  same  air  of  neatness  that  pervades  the  hiuiulry  is  found  in  the  dairy. 
The  cows  are  millved  by  the  men  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  driven 
to  the  pastures  by  the  boys,  and  are  driven  back  to  the  stables  and  ujilked 
again  at  five  in  the  afternoon.  There  is  no  yelling,  scolding,  whipping  nor 
Inaltreating  of  either  cattle  or  horses ;  and  no  dog  runs  barking,  snapping 
and  biting  at  the  heels  of  tlie  cows — no  dog  ever  finds  a  home  in  a  Shaker 
Community. 

A  visit  to  the  school  room  at  the  Shakers  is  full  of  interest.  Here  the 
'cllildi'en,  who  have  been  placed  with  the  Shakers  to  be  reared  until  they 
have  reached  their  majority,  are  educated.  And  here,  it  may  be  truthfully 
said,  they  receive  the  very  best  common  school  education.  Students  grad- 
uating from  a  Shaker  school  are  well  fitted  to  battle  with  life  in  any  capacity 
in  which  they  may  be  placed.  The  young  girls  are  taught  music  and  have 
certain  hours  in  the  lecture  room  every  day  which  are  devoted  to  music, 
reading,  talking  and  visiting. 

The  Shakers  are  firm  believers  in  the  "early  to  bed,  early  to  rise"  maxim, 
therefore,  as  the  clock  strikes  nine,  all  retire  to  their  couches,  to  arise  with 
the  morning  sun. 

The  dress  of  the  men  is  plain  but  neat,  like  that  of  prosperous  farmers. 
Formerly  they  made  their  own  cloth  aud  dressed  all  alike  in  uniform  col- 
or, but  now  they  find  it  more  economical  to  purchase  the  usual  grade  of  suit- 
ings more  in  conformity  wi'.h  the  world's  people.  The  women  still  cling 
to  the  style  of  garments  adopted  in  the  infancy  of  the  institution,  and  maj' 
be  seen  in  their  little  lace  caps,  uniform  in  style,  generally  a  dress  of  gray 
material,  and  the  well-known  Shaker  bonnet.  They  are  often  seen  in  Con- 
cord, N.  H.,  on  shopping  excursions,  in  the  company  of  some  Elder  or  Trus- 
tee as  an  escort. 

Standing  conspicuous  among  the  saintly  characters  in  the  Shaker  Comnui- 
nity  was  the  person  of  Mary  Whitcher,  so  long  and  so  favorably  known  to 
all  who  ever  visited  the  Shakers  at  their  beautiful  home  at  Canterbury.  She 
might  well  have  been  called  the  Shaker  poetess,  for  the  Shaker  literature  was 
often  enriched  by  her  poetical  pen.  Mary  Whitcher  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Laurens,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  31st  of  March,  1815,  the  youngest 
of  four  children.  When  Mary  was  eleven  years  of  age,  her  father  moved 
with  his  family  to  Shaker  Village,  Canterbury,  N.  H.  The  site  of  this  Soci- 
ety was  the  old  homestead  of  Mary's  grandfather,  Benjamin  Whitcher,  who, 
with  his  wife  and  children,  embraced  the  Shaker  faith,  and  dedicated  their 
estate  to  the  pei-petual  use  of  the  Society.  There  is  still  standing  one  ancient 
apple  tree,  left  to  mark  that  once  fruitful  orchard  of  the  Whitcher  family, 
and  it  still  yields  its  annual  quantum  of  fruit. 

The  Shakers  of  Canterbury  have  contributed  the  following  as  showing  the 
esteem  in  which  she  was  held  by  them :  '  'The  youthful  Mary  being  very  in- 
telligent and  an  apt  scholar,   was  early  employed  as  a  school  teacher,  and 


114  CANTERBURY    COMMUNITY. 

subsequently  appointed  to  a  responsible  position  with  the  Trustees,  where  for 
twenty  years  she  identified  herself  with  the  interest  of  the  Society  in  a  public 
manner,  and  became  widely  known  as  an  ideal  Shakeress.  Her  benevolent 
nature,  ruled  by  an  enlightened  conscience,  well  fitted  her  to  exemplify  that 
immortal  utterance  of  our  Savior :  'Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  to  the  least 
of  these,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.'  None  were  too  poor  or  too  unworthy  to 
receive  her  recognition  and  care.  Later  in  life,  she  became  an  active  leader 
in  the  'Ministry,'  which  is  composed  of  two  members  of  each  sex,  and  pre- 
sides over  the  two  Societies  of  Canterbury  and  Enfield,  and  is  the  highest  of- 
fice in  the  Society.  This  position  she  retained  imtil  failing  health  compelled 
her  resignation.  As  her  benevolence  could  not  be  limited  by  age  or  sickness, 
her  good  ministries  in  behalf  of  her  people  continued  in  various  ways,  par- 
ticularly in  the  gifted  use  of  her  pen,  until  her  demise,  which  occurred  Janu- 
ary 6,  1890,  after  a  patient  endurance  for  six  years  of  intense  suffering.  The 
accompanying  likeness  of  her  reveals  the  moral  excellence  of  her  character 
more  clearly  than  any  words  can  describe."  The  universal  verdict,  where  she 
was  best  known,  is  :  "Our  Sister  Mary  was  a  most  lovable,  genial,  devoted 
Christian  Shaker."     It  was  her  pen  that  wrote  : 

"Who  hath  a  God,  hath  all  the  world  beside 
In  which  to  live  and  move  and  to  abide; 
But  he  who  trusteth  not  to  power  divine, 
Doth  well  distrust  beyond  the  scenes  of  time." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

CANTERBURY    COMMUNITY— VISIT  IN  1854— ATTENDING  CHURCH- 
TABLE    MONITOR. 

IT  was  in  the  month  of  August,  1854,  when  I  invited  a  young  lady,  now 
the  wife  of  a  prominent  physician  in  one  of  our  Western  cities,  to  attend  a 
Shaker  meeting  on  the  following  Sabbath  morning-  The  invitation  was  read- 
ily accepted  by  the  lady  as  a  novelty  she  had  long  desired  to  witness.  It  was 
a  beautiful  morning  and  the  carriage  ride  of  ten  miles  to  the  Shaker  village  in 
Canterbury,  N.  H.,  was  delightful.  On  arriving  at  the  Trustees'  Office  of  the 
Church  family,  we  were  greeted  cordially  by  the  presiding  Elder,  who,  upon 
learning  our  mission,  extended  to  us  the  hospitalities  of  the  Shaker  Com- 
munity. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  general  public  were  not  admitted  to  their  relig- 
ious meetings,  owing  to  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  who  attended  the 
meetings  to  treat  the  spirit  manifestation  of  the  Shaker  worshipers  with  levi- 


ATTENDING    CHURCH.  115 

ty.  As  the  time  arrived  for  the  hour  of  service,  it  was  announced  by  the 
tolling  of  the  church  bell,  and  we  were  soou  wending  our  way  to  the  chapel. 
At  the  door  of  the  sanctuary  the  young  lady  and  myself  were  informed  that 
we  must  separate,  as  Shakerism  forbade  the  mingling  of  the  sexes  even  in 
divine  service.  Therefore,  as  we  entered  the  room,  my  companion  was  di- 
rected to  a  seat  near  the  Sisters,  while  1  was  conducted  to  a  seat  on  the  other 
side  of  the  house  allotted  to  the  Brothers.  Almost  the  first  thing  I  noticed 
was  a  line  of  black  pegs  equidistant  from  each  other,  and  about  one  foot 
apart,  made  even  with  the  floor,  to  assist  the  front  rank  in  forming  a  straight 
line.  As  the  Brethren  entered  the  room,  they  removed  their  hats  and  coats 
and  hung  them  upon  wooden  pegs  which  lined  the  sides  of  the  room.  The 
Sisters  also  removed  their  bonnets.  Then,  standing  for  a  moment  in  perfect 
silence,  they  seated  themselves,  the  Brothers  and  Sisters  facing  each  other. 
The  adults  and  children  were  dressed  nearly  alike.  The  Brothers  in  their 
Sunday  costume  of  blue  and  white  striped  pantaloons,  with  a  vest  of  deeper 
blue,  exposing  a  full  bosomed  shirt,  with  a  deep,  turned-down  collar,  fastened 
with  three  buttons.  The  Sisters,  in  their  pure  white  dresses,  with  neck  and 
shoulders  covered  with  snow  white  kerchiefs,  their  heads  crowned  with  a  white 
lace  cap,  while  over  the  left  arm  some  hung  a  white  pocket  handkerchief. 
Then-  feet  ensconced  in  high-heeled,  pointed-toed  cloth  shoes,  of  a  brilliant 
ultramarine  blue.  Their  faces  were  full  of  devout  holiness,  which  marked 
the  occasion  as  one  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  For  the  space  of  a  few  min- 
utes the  assemblage  of  worshipers  remained  in  profound  silence.  Then  they 
arose  as  by  common  consent  and  stood  in  silence  while  the  benches  in  the 
center  of  the  room  were  removed.  The  Brethren  faced  the  Sisters,  who  mod- 
estly cast  their  eyes  to  the  floor,  while  one  of  the  Elders  from  the  center  of 
the  group  addressed  them  with  a  few  words  of  exhortation.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  remarks,  they  bowed  their  heads  for  a  few  moments,  when  they 
commenced  the  singing  of  a  hymn  : 

"God's  love  is  at  the  helm  I   We  shall  outride  the  storm; 
Whose  life  is  in  the  light  can  fear  no  earthly  harm. 
The  passage  may  be  long  ere  truth  o'er  error  rise; 
But  they  are  always  strong  who  make  no  compromise. 

"And  since  we  know  the  strength  of  light  and  love  in  God, 
Shall  we  be  found  at  length,  as  those  who  doubt  his  word? 
Nay,  truth  our  path  shall  fill,  and  bring  a  cloudless  sky; 
We'll  trust  and  do  his  will,  thiis  all  our  foes  defy." 

This  hymn,  of  which  there  we,"e  several  verses,  was  sung  to  an  appropriate 
tune,  without  the  use  of  instrumental  music,  they  all  the  while  keeping  time 
with  their  feet  and  with  a  rocking  movement  of  the  body.  Then,  after  a 
short  interval,  one  of  the  Sisters  in  the  front  rank  started  the  words  of  a 
hymn,  in  which  they  all  joined,  marching  backward  and  forward.  Their 
arms  -were  extended  at  a  right  angle  from  their  bodies,  the  palms  of  their 


IIG  RELIGIOUS    SERVICE. 

hands  turned  upward,  with  a  drawing-in  movement  as  they  moved  on  in  then* 
march. 

At  the  close  of  the  hymn,  the  Elder  in  charge  of  the  meeting,  came  for- 
ward as  the  worshipers  retired  to  their  seats,  and  made  an  address,  in  which 
he  set  forth  the  superiority  of  the  Shaker  life  over  that  of  all  other  denomi- 
nations, and  the  impossibility  of  true  happiness  in  this  life,  or  the  life  to 
come,  unless  the  Christ  life  of  virgin  purity  was  lived  in  our  sojourn  on  earth. 

The  address  was  terminated  in  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  when  another 
lively  tune  was  started  and  they  began  a  march  in  a  cu'cle  around  the  center 
of  the  room,  the  Brethren  two  abreast,  leading  the  column,  the  Sisters  fol- 
lowing after  in  sections  of  three  abreast.  In  this  march  as  in  the  former  ex- 
ercise, there  was  a  waving  movement  of  the  hands  by  drawing  inward,  as  if 
gathering  in  spiritual  good  and  storing  it  up  for  the  necessities  of  the  week. 
Occasionally  there  was  a  clapping  of  hands  in  perfect  concert,  this  being  re- 
peated for  several  times  in  succession.  In  the  marching  and  counter-march- 
ing, the  worshipers  frequently  changed  their  positions,  the  Brothers  reducing 
their  ranks  to  two  abreast,  while  the  Sisters  increased  their  ranks  to  thi-ee, 
and  while  in  this  position  the  singers  stood  in  the  center,  the  others  encircling 
them  twice  in  their  marching.  Then,  again,  they  formed  themselves  in  single 
file  and  marched  around  the  central  body,  ultimately  forming  into  four  cir- 
cles, with  the  singers  as  a  common  center.  This  was  afteiT\''ards  explained 
as  symbolical  of  the  four  great  "dispensations"  as  expounded  in  Shakerism. 
The  first,  from  Adam  to  Abraham ;  the  second,  from  Abraham  to  Jesus ;  the 
third,  from  Jt'sus  to  Mother  Ann;  and  the  fourth,  the  "millennial,"  which 
the  Shakers  claim  they  are  now  enjoying  as  the  triumphs  of  their  religion. 

The  hymns  sung  were  somewhat  after  the  Methodist  style,  the  first  verse 
of  one  of  which  read  : — 

"Away  I  have  turned  from  this  world's  transient  glory, 
From  evil,  and  all  that  the  wicked  can  boast; 
And  have  set  out  for  Zion.     O !  hear  the  glad  story ! 
To  gain,  more  than  gain,  what  in  Eden  was  lost." 

At  the  close  of  the  singing,  one  of  the  Sisters  began  to  rock  her  body  to 
and  fro ;  at  first  gently,  then  in  a  more  violent  manner,  until  two  of  the  Sis- 
ters, one  on  each  side,  supported  her,  else  she  would  have  fallen  to  the  floor. 
She  appeared  to  be  wholly  unconscious  of  her  surroundings,  and  to  be  moved 
by  an  invisible  power.  This,  then,  was  a  physical  manifestation  of  di\'ine 
power,  such  as  is  now  seldom  met  with  in  the  public  meetings  of  the  Shakers. 
The  shaking  of  the  subject  continued  to  increase  in  violence,  and  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  she  could  be  restrained  from  throwing  herself  forcibly  to 
the  floor.  Her  limbs  liecame  rigid,  her  face  took  on  an  ashen  hue,  her  lips 
moved,  and  she  began  to  speak  in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  every  word  of 
which  penetrated  every  part  of  the  room,  which  was  as  still  as  death.  Every 
eye  was  on  the  recipient  of  the  gift,  every  ear  open  to  catch  each  word  as  it 


TABLE    MONITOR.  117 

fell  from  hei'  lips.  She  spoke  of  the  shortuess  of  life,  of  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  abandoning  the  world  and  its  sinful  pleasures  before  it  was  too  late; 
that  in  Shakerism  was  embodied  all  the  virtues,  and  none  of  the  vices,  of 
mankind;  that  through  her 'the,  spirit  of  Mother  Ann  wag  speaking  to  every 
Shaker  present  to  remain  steadfast  in  the  faith,  and  they. would  enjoy  the 
richest  of  h^^aven's  .blessings — an  eternity  of  bliss.  For  the  space  of  fifteen 
minutes  she  spoke  rapidly,  yet  impressively,  her  whole  frame  shaking  from 
head  to  foot.  Gradually  the  "spell"  left  her,  and  her  limbs  relaxed  as  she 
sank  into  a  seat  completely  exhausted.     ■ 

This  event  clos  d  tlie  exercises  of  the  meeting,  and  all  left  the  place  pro- 
foundly impressed  by  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  One  thing  was  very 
noticeable,  the  entire  absence  of  prayer  during  the  exercises.  Was  it  possi- 
ble that  the  Shakers  did  not  believe  in  the,  efficacy  of  prayer?  Was  it  not  pass- 
ing strange  that- nowhere  in  any  of  their  writings  was  this  feature,  so  promi- 
nent in  all  other  Christian  denominations,  made  mention  of  as  any  part  of 
their  religious  duty?  This  was  afterwards  explained  to  me  that  the  Shakers 
generally  made  then-  prayers  in  silence  and  not  in  public  assemblies. 

Those  who  have  visited  the  Shakers  in  the  past,  and  have  been  entertained 
by  them  in  the  public  dining  hall,  will  recall  one  featm'e  of  the  table  which 
was  in  vogue  thirty-five  years  ago  as  a  peculiarity  of,  at  least,  the  Canterbury 
Shakers,  if  of  no  other  Shaker  Community.  On  being  seated  at  the  table,  a 
printed  sheet,  was  handed  to  the  guest,  which  at  first  might  be  mistaken  for  a 
bill  of  fare,  but  upon  inspection  proved  to  be  an  injunction  to  take  upon  the 
plate  only  what  was  to  be  eaten.  This  little  sheet,  entitled  "Table  Monitor," 
was  written  by  a  Shaker  Sister,  Hannah  Brouson,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who 
entered  the  Community  about  the  year  1800.  It  is  full  of  homely  yet  perti- 
nent truth,  and  well  worth}?  of  reproduction  here : 

TABLE    MONITOR. 
'■'•Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain^  that  nothing  he  lost.''' — Chkist, 
Here,  then,  is  the  pattern  which  Jesus  has  set, 
And  his  gobd  example  we  can  not  forget; 
With  thanks  for  liis  blessings,  liisword  we'll  obey, 
But  on  this  occasion  we've  somewhat  to  say. 
We  wish  to  speak  plainly  and  use  no  deceit; 
We  like  to  see  fragments  left  wholesome  and  neat; 
To  customs  and  fashions  we  make  no  pretence, 
Yet  think  we  can  tell  what  belongs  to  good  sense. 
What  we  deem  good  order  we're  willing  to  state, 
Eat  hearty  and  decent,  and  clear  out  our  plate ; 
Be  thankful  to  heaven  for  what  we  receive, 
And  not  make  a  mixture  or  compound  to  leave. 
We  find  of  those  bounties  which  heaven  does  give, 
That  some  live  to  eat,  and  that  some  eat  to  live ; 
That  some  think  of  nothing  but  pleasing  the  taste, 
And  care  very  little  how  much  they  do  waste. 


118  VISIT    TO    CANTERBURY    IN    1892. 

Though  heaven  has  blessed  us  with  plenty  of  food : 

Bread,  butter  and  honey  and  all  that  is  good ; 

We  loathe  to  see  mixtures  where  gentle  folks  dine, 

"Which  scarcely  look  fit  for  the  poultry  or  swine. 

We  often  find  left  on  the  same  China  dish, 

Meat,  apple  sauce,  pickle,  brown  bread  and  minced  fish : 

Another's  replenished  with  butter  and  cheese, 

With  pie,  cake  and  toast,  perhaps,  added  to  these. 

Now  if  any  virtue  in  this  can  be  shown. 

By  peasant,  by  lawyer,  or  king  on  the  throne ; 

We  freely  will  forfeit  whatever  we've  said. 

And  call  it  a  virtue  to  waste  meat  and  bread. 

Let  none  be  offended  at  what  we  here  say. 

We  candidly  ask  you,  is  that  the  best  way? 

If  not,  lay  such  customs  and  fashions  aside, 

And  this  monitor  take,  henceforth,  for  your  guide. 

Many    of    the    present    generation    have   doubtless  heard  the  expression 
'^shaker  your  plate,"  who  will  now  understand  from  whence  its  origin. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

CANTERBURY  COMMUXITY— VISIT  IN  1892— PRINTING    OFFICE— MU- 
SEUM—SINGING— STYLE  OF  DRESS— MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 

BEING  recently  at  my  old  home  in  New  Hampshire  for  a  few  days'  rest, 
I  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  desire  once  more  to  cross  the  thi-esh- 
old  of  the  Shaker  Community  at  East  Canterbury,  and  see  for  myself  how 
far  the  rumors  which  had  reached  me,  that  the  Shakers  were  diminishing, 
were  true.  Said  one  of  my  old  friends :  "The  Shakers  are  nearly  defunct; 
there  is  hardly  a  baker's  dozen  of  them  left  in  Canterbury."  Said  another : 
"They  are  poor,  and  are  selling  off  all  their  land  in  order  to  make  both  ends 
meet.  Why,  you  remember  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago  they  were  manu- 
facturing and  selling  large  quantities  of  brooms,  pails  and  tubs,  and  David 
Parker  did  a  flourishing  business  in  his  patent  washing  machines  and  the 
Shaker  garden  seeds  they  raised  and  sold  would  nearly  supply  the  whole 
country.  There  is  nothing  of  this  kind  carried  on  there  now.  I  tell  you 
Shakerism  has  seen  its  day.     They  are  as  dead  as  Chelsea  up  there." 

To  be  "as  dead  as  Chelsea,"  means  a  good  deal  in  New  Hampshire,  and  I 
thought  if  they  were  really  as  dead  as  this,  I  would  like  to  walk  into  the 
graveyard  and  see  if  there  were  any  headstones  marking  the  graves  of  this 
once   flourishing   Community.     A  party  of  ten  was  soon  made  up,  and  we 


OUli    RECEPTION.  119 

started  from  Concord  with  two  double  carriages,  while  a  gentleman  and  his 
wife  from  Boston  followed  in  a  single  caniage.  We  left  the  city  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  a  beautiful  day,  just  such  a  day  as  we  often  see  in 
the  latter  part  of  August  in  New  Hampshire.  We  took  the  same  old  road 
over  which  I  drove  thirty-eiglit  years  before  on  that  August  Sabbath  morn- 
ing to  visit  a  Shaker  meeting.  How  the  memories  of  the  past  clouded  my 
vision  as  we  passed  house  after  house  and  farm  after  farm,  the  occupants  of 
which,  I  was  informed,  had  all  passed  on.  In  some  instances  their  sons 
were  harvesting  the  crops  their  fathers  were  wont  to  gather.  In  others,  the 
lands  had  passed  completely  into  the  possession  of  strangers,  and  I  felt  like 
a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 

After  a  ride  of  some  two  hours,  we  began  to  climb  the  last  hill  which 
brought  into  view  a  part  of  the  Shaker  village.  All  along  each  side  of  the 
road  lay  the  lands  of  the  Shakers,  or,  at  least,  the  lands  they  were  once  pos- 
sessed of  before  they  became  "as  dead  as  Chelsea."  But  there  was  a  certain 
freshness  about  the  land ;  the  ground  looked  rich,  the  grass  green,  bearing 
such  unquestionable  evidence  of  life  and  activity  that  I  began  to  doubt  the 
stories  of  the  dead  Shaker  Community.  As  we  approached  still  nearer,  and 
the  buildings  came  more  plainly  to  view,  I  saw  that  they  had  just  that  same 
feature  of  neatness  about  them,  and  the  paint  looked  just  as  fresh  as  it  did 
thirty-eight  years  before,  and  as  if  but  recently  painted.  Certainly,  every 
thing  here  had  the  appearance  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  even  if  the  Shakers 
were  actually  defunct. 

We  drove  up  to  the  door  of  the  Trustees'  building,  where  our  party  alighted 
and  entered  the  reception  rooms,  our  horses  being  cared  for  at  the  stable. 
Almost  immediately  we  were  waited  upon  by  several  Shaker  Sisters,  one  of 
whom,  on  learning  our  wants,  left  to  superintend  the  preparing  of  dinner, 
while  two  others  opened  the  "store"  that  they  might  exchange  some  of  their 
handicraft  for  our  money,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  ladies  of  our  party,  who 
were  very  glad  to  bear  away  with  them  some  mementos  of  their  visit. 

After  a  most  substantial  dinner  (at  which  we  were  not  even  asked  to  "shak- 
er our  plates,"  the  "Table  Monitor"  of  years  ago  having  disappeai;ed,  retired, 
perhaps,  to  some  cosy  nook  in  Elder  Blinn's  museum  as  a  relic  of  the  table 
customs  of  ancient  Shaker  days,)  we  were  invited  by  J^lder  Bliun  and  Eldress 
Dorothy  Ann  Durgin  to  take  a  stroll  about  the  grounds  and  buildings  of  the 
Community.  This  invitation  we  gladly  accepted.  Piloted  by  this  most- 
worthy  Brother  and  Sister,  who  stand  as  high  officially  in  Shakerism  as  hon- 
ors can  be  bestowed  in  their  Community,  we  felt  highly  favored,  and  more 
so  on  account  of  the  apparent  willingness  on  their  part,  depicted  in  their 
frank,  open  countenances,  to  fully  satisfy  our  curiosity  regarding  modern 
Shakerism. 

In  the  course  of  conversation,  we  learned  that  no  change  had  been  made  in 
the  doctrines  of  the  church  ;  that  the  Shakers  were  as  well  grounded  to-day 


120  THE    PRINTINGf    OFFICE. 

iu  the  gospel  as  preached  by  Mother  Ami  as  were  her  immediate  followers. 
True,  the  spiritualistic  manifestations  were  not  made  as  apparent  now  as  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago,  but  this  of  itself  had  no  significance  whatever,  as 
waves  of  spiritualism  had  often  before  passed  over  the  Community,  lasting 
for  a  period  of  time,  then  disappearing,  to  be  revived  again  as  the  spirit 
of  revelation  and  inspiration  took  possession  of  some  worthy  Brother  or  Sis- 
ter, and  through  them  the  path  of  duty  was  made  more  plain,  and  greater,  life 
and  zeal  given  to  their  religious  service. 

A  notable  instance  of  this  occurred  in  1827,  when  they  were  visited  with  a 
spiritual  wave  which  lasted  for  several  years,  and  then  passed  on,. to  be  re- 
vived again  in  1837.  This  was  a  still  more  notable  manifestation  of  spiritu- 
alism, from  the  fact  that  it  first  made  its  appearance  among  the  children  iu 
the  Community  at  Water vl let,  N.  Y.,  while  they  were  engaged  in  religious 
devotion.  On  this  occasion,  some  of  the  children  passed  into  a  trance  state, 
apparently  becoming  wholly  unconscious  of  their  surroundings.  In  this  con- 
dition they  seemed  to  be  controlled  by  an  invisible  power  which  took  them 
spiritually  from  place  to  place,  asking  and  answering  questions  through  the 
mediums,  or  "instruments,"  as  they  were  designated  by  the  Shakers. 

This  manifestation  soon  spread  among  the  adults,  who  were,  on  some  oc- 
casions, thi'own  into  distressing  contortions  of  the  body,  bowing  and  twisting 
themselves  iu  every  conceivable  shape.  Then  for  a  long  time  they  would  spin 
and  whirl  with  great  rapidity,  at  last' falling  motionless  on  the  floor.  Others 
went  into  a  state  of  trance  and  revealed  to  the  congregation  the  condition  of 
the  spirit  world,  bringing  messages  from  the  spirits  of  departed  Shaker  Broth- 
ers and  Sisters  to  the  assembled  congregation  of  Believers.  Quite  often  sev- 
eral of  the  "instruments"  would  be  in  the  entranced  state  at  the  same  time, 
and  with  closed  eyes  would  pass  and  repass  each  other  in  entirely  new  and 
intricate  marches  with  the  utmost  precision,  all  the  while  singing  new  and 
spiritually-improvised  songs  and  anthems,  complicated  by  motions  of  the 
hands  and  feet  and  a  movement  of  the  body,  all  iu  perfect  time  with  the  spir- 
it of  "the  song. 

These  visionists  not  only  gave  a  full  and  elaborate  description  of  the  state 
of  those  who  had  entered  the  spirit  world  faithful  iu  the  cause  of  Christ,  but 
with  fear  and  horror  they  depicted  the  unhappy  condition  of  those  who  had 
passed  the  portal  recreant  to  the  faith,  many  of  the  spirits  making  these  "in- 
■  strimients"  the  medimns  through  which  they  uttered  solemn  warnings  to  the 
unfaithful.  These  manifestations  continued  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  up  to 
the  year  1856,  when  they  gradually  faded  away.  As  we  passed  on  thi-ough 
the  Printing  Oflflce  of  the  Society,  we  saw  several  of  the  Sisters  with  busy  fin- 
gers setting  type  for  the  September  issue  of  Elder  Blinn's  Monthly,  The 
Manifesto,  while  the  presses  were  running  off  the  forms  which  had  been  made 
ready. 

Passing  into  the  museum  department  of  the  Editor's  den,   in  which  Elder 


MANUFACTURING.  121 

Blinn  justly  takes  much  pride,  we  were  treated  to  an  exhibition  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  our  forefathers,  with  flint  and  steel,  struck  the  spark  which  kin- 
dled the  flame  of  the  old  pine  knot,  by  the  light  of  which  they  obtained  what 
knowledge  they  possessed  from  books,  the  hours  of  daylight  being  wholly  de" 
voted  to  manual  labor.  Standing  by  the  side  of  the  old  eight-day  clock, 
which  was  notfd  for  having  the  bearings  of  its  wheels  made  of  ivory,  was  a 
closed  upright  case  about  the  size  and  shape  of  the  clock.  Stepping  up  to 
this.  Elder  Blinn  remarked  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  every  family  of  the 
world's  people  had  their  skeleton,  and  with  the  further  remark,  "We  also 
have  ours,"  he  opened  the  door  of  the  closet,  displaying  a  full-sized  skeleton 
suspended  by  a  cord.  It  is  just  possible  that  right  here  we  had  the  solution 
of  the  origin  of  the  rumor  that  the  Shakers  were  fast  becoming  defunct. 
Certainl}',  until  now,  there  had  been  no  visible  appearance  of  it. 

The  Shaker  Sisters  have  quite  an  interesting  collection  of  ancient  pieces  of 
crockery,  some  of  which  were  in  use  one  hundred  years  or  more  ago.  Elder 
Blinn  also  has  several  pairs  of  the  old-style,  high-heeled,  pointed-toe  shoes  in 
his  museum,  which  were  worn  by  the  Sisters  who  were  early  in  the  Shaker 
faith. 

We  were  shown  into  many  of  the  departments  of  which  I  gave  a  descrip- 
tion in  a  former  chapter.  In  all  of  them  we  found  the  same  features  of  neat- 
ness that  were  characteristic  of  the  Shakers  twenty-five  years  ago,  showing 
plainly  that  the  children  of  this  generation  came  up  just  as  good  housewives 
as  their  elder  Sisters. 

The  Shakers  in  Canterbury  do  quite  a  large  business  in  the  line  of  manu- 
facturing the  celebrated  Shaker-knit  underwear,  and,  until  recently,  one  firm 
in  New  York  has  controlled  the  sale  of  all  the  garments  manufactured  by 
them.  They  have  lately  added  some  knitting  machines  of  the  newest  and 
most  improved  pattern,  capable  of  largely  increasing  their  product  in  this 
direction. 

In  the  chapel  of  the  church  we  found  assembled  a  company  of  Shaker  Sis- 
ters for  the  express  purpose  of  treating  us  to  some  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  They  were  led  by  a  Brother.  The  quality  of  the  singing  would  com- 
pare favorably  with  that  in  many  of  our  city  churches,  showing  that  much 
careful  attention  has  been  given  to  the  subject.  One  of  the  hymns  sung  with 
much  pathos,  the  words  of  which  impressed  me  with  the  feeling  that  the 
Shakers  were  firm  believers  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer. 

"O!  Father,  to  Thy  throne  we  come,  in  attitude  of  prayer. 
Our  hearts  petitioning  Thy  grace,  Thy  guidance,  love  and  care. 
We  ask  for  power  to  control  the  elements  of  earth ; 
For  wisdom  to  expand  the  soul. unto  the  higher  birth. 


122  A    PRAYERFUL,    CHRISTIAN    PEOPLE. 

"O!  bless  us  with  a  fervent  zeal,  to  know  and  do  Thy  will; 
With  more  abundant  righteousness  our  understandings  fill. 
That  we  may  walk  with  purpose  fixed,  the  pathway  of  the  pure, 
Fulfilling  all  the  law  of  grace,  Thy  favor  to  insure." 

I  afterwards  learned  from  Elder  Blinn  that  the  Shakers  have  been,  and  are, 
a  prayerful,  Christian  people ;  but  they  accept  as  their  guide  the  admonition 
of  Jesus  :  '  'Do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee  .  .  .  When  thou  prayest, 
thou  shalt  not  be  as  the  hypocrites  are :  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the 
synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men." 
For  this,  and  the  further  reasons  as  set  forth  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  St. 
Matthew,  in  the  sixth,  seventh  and  eighth  verses,  their  prayers  are  made  in 
secret ;   they  do  not  pray  audibly  in  any  of  their  public  meetings. 

It  was  in  the  chapel  that  my  attention  was  first  called  to  the  change  in  the 
color  of  the  dress  worn  by  the  Sisters  of  the  Community.  They  do  not  all 
now  confine  themselves  to  the  same  style  of  dress  goods  as  formerly,  but  are 
wearing  dresses  made  from  different  material  and  color.  Their  dresses  are 
made  plain,  full  in  the  skirt,  with  plain  waists ;  shoulder  capes,  one  reaching 
to  the  waist  back  and  front,  and  a  little  over  the  shoulders  at  the  sides,  the 
other  of  about  half  that  length ;  this,  with  white  linen  cuffs  and  a  plain  white 
standing  collar,  crowning  all  with  a  white  cap  made  of  plain  net  lace,  consti- 
tutes now  the  costume  of  the  Shaker  Sisters.  And,  thus  attired,  they  looked 
remarkably  pretty. 

From  the  chapel  we  passed  into  the  school-room,  which  had  just  re-con- 
vened after  a  vacation  of  several  weeks.  The  scholars  were  all  girls,  as 
during  the  summer  months  the  boys  are  engaged  in  work  about  the  fann. 
The  day  was  nearly  spent,  so  that  we  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  them 
recite  only  two  lessons,  one  in  demonstrating  some  problems  in  arithmetic  on 
the  blackboard,  the  other  in  geography.  The  scholars  certainly  showed  a 
proficiency  in  mathematics  and  geography  which  did  great  credit  to  their 
teacher.  The  exercises  closed  with  the  familiar  geography  song  set  to  the 
tune  of  "The  King  of  the  Cannibal  Islands." 

One  thing  struck  me  as  an  innovation.  Twenty-five  years  ago,  such  a 
thing  as  an  organ  or  a  piano  in  a  Shaker  Community  was  never  dreamed  of, 
but  now,  scattered  over  the  premises  we  noticed  no  less  than  half  a  dozen 
pianos  and  as  many  more  organs.  Upon  my  expressing  some  surprise  at 
this,  Eldress  Dorothy  remarked  that  they  felt  that  something  more  must  be 
done  for  the  children  than  formerly,  and  that  this  was  something  they  all 
could  fully  enjoy. 

We  noticed  several  improvements  in  progress.  A  new  foundation  was 
being  built  for  an  enlargement  of  the  kitchen ;  also,  painters  were  at  work 
painting  the  outside  of  some  of  the  buildings. 

We  were  shown  a  large  map  of  the  property  belonging  to  the  Shakers  in 
Canterbury,  which  was  from  a  survey  made  several  years  ago  at  considerable 


COMMUNISM.  123 

expense.  Six  weeks  were  occupied  in  the  survey.  Until  this  was  made, 
the  Shakers  had  always  regarded  their  landed  property  as  consisting  of  about 
three  thousand  acres,  but  the  survey  showed  the  acreage  to  amount  to  rather 
more  than  four  thousand  acres.  Of  this  amount,  they  have  sold,  but  very 
recently,  two  lots  amounting  to  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  all. 
This  did  not  look  like  "selling  off  all  their  land,"  or  that  they  were  running 
out  very  rapidly. 

The  actual  facts  in  relation  to  them  are  these :  There  are  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  membars  comprising  the  Community  in  Canterbury.  The  wo- 
men outnumber  the  men  considerably,  and  quite  a  few  of  both  sexes,  be- 
ing advanced  in  life,  it  is  not  expected,  or  desired,  by  the  Community,  that 
they  should  take  the  brunt  of  the  hard  work.  During  the  summer  months 
they  employ  quite  a  number  of  hired  men  to  plant  the  seed  and  gather  the 
harvest.  Of  course,  this  could  be  avoided  if  the  Society  was  sufficiently  re- 
inforced by  young  men.  There  is  not  a  doubt  but  that  they  stand  greatly  in 
want  of  new  and  younger  converts.  These  may  be  forthcoming  before  an- 
other decade  passes.  The  Shakers  are  certainly  looking  forward  to  it  in  the 
full  belief  that  the  times  are  auspicious,  and  ere  long  will  result  in  large  num- 
bers making  application  for  admission  to  their  Community. 

In  a  resume  of  the  subject  of  Shakerism,  and  in  arriving  at  the  correct  so- 
lution as  to  its  remarkable  success  as  a  communal  body,  outlasting  by  many 
decades  that  of  all  its  congeners,  we  find  nothing  obscure  or  metaphysical 
about  it.  It  is  a  society  of  individuals  who  fully  believe  in  a  life  of  virgin 
purity  as  taught  and  lived  by  Jesus.  It  is  composed  of  those  who  collective 
ly  and  ind  vidually  have  made  it  a  duty  of  their  daily  life  to  take  home  to 
themselves  the  injunction,  "take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me,  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart."  "Abhor  that  which  is  evil ;  cleave  to  that 
which  is  good."  "Do  unto  others  as  ye  would  that  they  should  do  unto 
you."  This,  with  the  firm  belief  that  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  had  all  things 
in  common,  so  they  must  have  one  purse,  one  mind,  and  one  purpose,  in  or- 
der to  fully  enjoy  the  millennium — the  thousand  years  reign  of  Christ  on 
earth — which  Shakerism  teaches,  is  now  being  enjoyed  by  all  true  Shakers.  ^^J 

That  the  Shaker  Communities  are  not  as  flourishing  in  point  of  numbers 
as  once  they  were,  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  when  it  is  taken  into  considera- 
tion that  their  population  is  not  increased  except  by  the  voluntary  admission 
of  persons  who  are  willing  to  put  off  the  world  and  all  its  worldly  pleasures, 
and  take  up  the  cross  of  self-denial  that  they  may  live  lives  of  absolute  purity. 

The  Shakers  hold  that  they  see  in  the  "signs  of  the  times" — in  the  great 
strife  between  capital  and  labor — a  tendency  towards  communism  that  will 
result  in  large  accessions  to  their  ranks  at  no  very  distant  day,  as  the  princi- 
ples of  then*  religion  become  better  understood  by  the  masses. 


124 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

ELDER  F.  W.  EVANS— HIS  BIRTH— LIFE  AT  CHAD  WICK  HALL- 
EMIGRATION  TO  AMERICA, 

ON  Tuesday  morning,  the  7th  of  March,  in  this  present  year,    one  of  the 
hirgest  and  most  influential  of   all  the    New  York  dailies  made  this  an- 
nouncement in  their  obituary  column  : 

"Elder  Frederick  William  Evans,  one  of  the  oldest  Shakers  in  the  United 
States,  died  in  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  yesterday,  in  his  eighty-fifth  year.  He  had 
long  ago  retired  from  active  service  as  Trustee  and  from  the  Ministry,  in  both 
of  which  capacities  he  had  done  great  good  for  the  Society,  not  alone  in  Leb- 
anon, but  all  over  the  world.  He  was  a  student,  lecturer,  author,  thinker, 
and  a  practical  Christian,  a  man  of  knowledge,  ability,  and  experience,  and 
one  who  will  be  greatly  missed." 

We  might  pause  here  with  profit  for  it  is  hardly  possible  to  pay  a  more 
brilliant  and  deserving  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Elder  Evans  than  these  brief 
lines  convey.  Still,  as  there  are  incidents  of  great  interest  in  the  early  life 
and  subsequent  career  of  this  noted  Shaker,  who,  for  sixty-three  years,  re- 
sided with  the  North  Family  of  Shakers  at  Mount  Lebanon,  where  for  fifty- 
seven  years,  and  until  last  November,  he  was  a  presiding  Elder,  we  are  con- 
strained to  devote  a  few  pages  to  the  history  of  this  remarkable  man. 

Elder  Frederick  William  Evans  was  born  in  Leominster,  Worcestershire 
county,  England,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1808.  He  came  from  a  race  of  long 
lived  yeomanry,  his  grandfather  having  nearly  reached  his  one-hundredth  birth- 
day at  the  time  of  his  death,  while  his  grandmother  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age 
of  one-hundred  and  four  years.  His  father,  George  Evans,  who  was  the 
youngest  of  twelve  children,  failed  to  enjoy  the  remarkable  vigor  of  his  par- 
ents and  died  in  early  manhood.  When  a  young  man  he  entered  the  English 
army,  where  he  served  under  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  in  the  Egyptian  expe- 
dition, co-operating  with  the  fleet  under  Admiral  Nelson  on  the  Nile,  where 
he  held  a  commission. 

The  mother  of  Elder  Evans,  Sarah  White,  was  from  a  more  aristocratic 
lineage,  and  her  marriage  with  George  Evans  was  contracted  against  the 
wishes  of  her  parents,  and  was  the  cause  of  much  unpleasantness  between  the 
two  families,  which  resulted  in  an  estrangement  that  was  not  removed  until 
her  death,  which  occurred  when  Frederick  was  but  four  years  of  age,  and 
then  only  were  they  so  far  reconciled  as  to  offer  her  little  son  a  home  in  their 
residence  at  Chadwick  Hall,  rear  Leaky  Hill,  the  scene  of  one  of  Cromwell's 
battles. 


Elder  Fredekick  W.  Evans. 


,      ELDEU    F.   W.   EVANS.      '  127 

For  the  accouut  of  his  life  at  Chadwick  Hall  we  are  largely  indebted  to  his 
"Autobiography  of  a  Shaker,"  writteu  by  request  and  published  in  the  April 
and  TNIay  issuer  of  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  for  the  year  1869,  and  which  was 
republishr'd  in  1888.,'  in  G-lasgow,  Scotland,  incorporated  with  some  other 
Shaker  articles  which  were  issued  from  the  press  bearing  the  same  title. 
.  His  lif  3,  unt  1  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eight  years,  was  much  like  that  of 
Qther  children  of.  his  station  in  society,  except,  perhaps,  that  he  was. left 
hiore  to  himself,  to  romp  and  play  with  such  of  the  servants  as  he  saw  fit  to 
choose  as  his  companions,  no  attempt  being  made  to  interest  him  in  books, 
'of  which  he  knew  absolutely  nothing,  and  for  which  he  manifested  a  great 
dislike.  But  it  was- now  decided  that  he  should  be  sent  to  school.  There- 
upon he'  was  placed  in  an  institution  of  learning  at  Stourbridge,  where  there 
were  some  two  hundred  scholars,  and  where  he  immediately  took  rank  as 
"•th^  poorest  scholar  in  school."  His  stolid  indifference  to  his  books  and 
incorrigiibility  soon  terminated  his  connection  with  the  school,  of  which  he 
■says:  "If  there  was' one  thing  more  than  another  that  I  hated  it  was  school 
books  and  an  English  school-master,  with  his  flogging  pi'oclivities."- 

On  leaving  school  he  again  took  up  his  old  home  life  at  Chadwick  Hall, 
bis  mother's  relatives  giving  up  all  attempt  to  further  educate  and  fit  hiin  for 
their  station  in  society.  Thus  left  to  himself  he  was  banished  almost  entire- 
ly from  the  influence  of  the  home  circle  of  his  uncles  and  aunts.  There  was, 
however,  one  person  who  had  not  given  him  up  as  wholly  lost.  His  gr:;iul- 
mother  still  had  faith,  that  notwithstanding  his  hatred  of  books,  he  would 
yet  make  his  mark  in  the  world,  and  so  she  patiently  looked  carefully  after 
his  religious  training,  requiring  him  to  say  his  prayers  each  night  and  morn- 
ing, taught  liim  to  read  the  collect  on  the  Sabbath,  dii'ecting  that  the  servnnts 
accompany  him  to  the  services  held  in  the  National  Episcopal  Church,  where 
he  was  enjoined  to  remember  the  text,  and  where  he  tells  us  that  he  "pa- 
tientl}^  endured  an  occasional  gentle  (?)  knock  on  the  head  from  the  sexton's 
long  wand,"  and,  "for  all  of  which,"  he  had  "a  proper  respect."  On  anoth- 
er occasion,  when  but  a  child,  he  heard  for  the  first  time  in  the  churcli  the 
deep-toned  notes  of  the  organ,  and  cried  out  in  great  terror,  much  to  th? 
amazement  and  amusement  of  the  large  congregation  present. 

If,  in  his  knowledge  of  bo(jks  he  was  most  sadly  deficient,  there  was,  at 
Chadwick  Hall,  a  most  systematic  arrangement  of  all  things  which  was  being 
constantly  brought  to  his  notice.  It  was  an  ext'^nsive  estate  where  the  pro- 
prietor was  given  much  to  the  sporting  tendencies  customaiy  among  the 
English  gentry.  The  kennels  contained  a  goodly  number  of  the  various 
breeds  of  dogs,  which  were  kept  each  in  its  own  allotted  apartments.  There 
was  "the  watch- dog  in  his  kennel,  the  water  spaniel,  the  t.-rrier  of  rat-catch- 
ing propensities,  the  greyhound,  the  pointer  and  the  bulldog,"  diversified 
by  the  "horses  for  the  farm,  the  road,  the  saddle  and  the  hunting  horse." 

There  was  a  flock  of  five   hundred   sheep,   under  the  care  of  ii  shepht  rd 


128  EMIGRATION    TO   AMERICA. 

whose  duty  was  to  have  them  coustautly  under  his  watchful  eye,  changing 
them  from  pasture  to  pasture  in  the  summer  months,  and  folding  them  in 
the  turnip  fields  during  the  winter. 

Every  field  on  the  farm  was  tilled  systematically,  with  a  rotation  of  crops, 
in  order  that  a  larger  profit  and  better  results  would  ensue.  The  land  was 
much  like  our  own  New  England  soil,  hilly,  with  patches  of  wood  and  tim- 
ber. A  fine  stream  of  water  coursed  through  the  estate,  forming  on  its  way 
five  beautiful  ponds,  abounding  in  fish,  while  the  woods  were  well  filled  with 
game  and  a  large  variety  of  singing  birds.  "Here,"  he  says,  "I  was  al- 
lowed to  educate  myself  to  my  heart's  content,  reading  and  studying  the 
vegetables  and  fruits,  of  which  there  was  a  great  abundance,  and  in  all  of 
which  I  was  deeply  interested."  Long  years  after,  when  he  had  become  a 
power  among  the  Shakers,  he  was  asked  from  what  Alma  Mater  he  gradu- 
ated, when  he  made  this  reply: 

"My  school  house  was  the  universe,  my  maps  the  landscape  of  hills  and 
valleys,  my  books  the  trees  and  plants,  my  teachers  the  servants  and  their 
masters  and  mistresses ;  graduating  therefrom,  I  emigrated  to  America, 
whei-e  I  taught  myself  to  read  books,  and  began  the^  study  of  history.  I 
learned  how  to  think,  observe  and  reason  upon  theology  and  the  social  and 
governmental  organizations  of  mankind,  until  I  became  a  materialist,  a  so- 
cialist, a  land  reformer,  and  an  infidel  to  all  the  popular  church  and  state  re- 
ligions of  Christendom." 

In  his  boyhood  he  was  often  the  companion  of  his  uncle  John  in  his  trips 
to  the  weekly  market  fairs  to  dispose  of  the  vegetables  and  produce  grown 
upon  the  farm,  developing  an  aptitude  for  trade  quite  beyond  his  years. 

When  nearly  twelve  years  of  age  his  father  and  brother  made  a  visit  to 
Chadwick  Hall  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  consent  of  his  mother's  fam- 
ily to  their  taking  him  to  America,  whither  they  had  decided  to  emigrate. 
They  did  not,  at  first,  make  themselves  known  to  the  lad,  but  were  ushered 
into  the  parlor,  where,  upon  referring  to  the  nature  of  their  business,  they 
were  strenuously  opposed  by  the  grandmother,  uncles  and  aunts  of  the  youth. 
In  this  interview  they  all  became  yery  much  excited  over  the  disposal  of  the 
boy,  but  as  a  last  resort,  agreed  to  leave  the  settlement  of  the  question  to  the 
lad  himself,  who  was  to  be  called  into  the  room  in  presence  of  them  all,  with- 
out being  previously  informed  for  what  purpose.  As  the  father  and  brother 
were  entu-e  strangers  to  the  boy  it  was  naturally  supposed,  by  his  mother's 
family,  that  he  would  surely  object  to  his  removal. 

On  the  entrance  of  Frederick  his  uncle  asked  him  Avhich  he  would  prefer  to 
do,  remain  with  them  and  make  that  his  home,  or  go  with  the  two  strangers 
present,  his  father  and  brother,  to  reside  in  America?  His  answer  came 
without  the  least  hesitation — "I  will  go  to  America  with  my  father  and  broth- 
er."   This  settled  it,  and  he  was  soon  "fixed  off"  and  on  his  way  to  Liverpool. 

In  his  Autobiography  the  Elder  says  :   "At  this  time,  I  only  knew  so  much 


SCHOOL    LIFE.  129 

of  America  as  I  had  hoard  the  common  people  sing  of  in  a  doggerel  rhyme 
which  originated  in  the  days  of  the  American  Revolution,  at  the  time  recruits 
were  being  raised  for  service  in  the  army : — 

"The  sun  will  burn  your  nose  off, 
And  the  frosts  will  freeze  your  toes  off; 
But  we  must  away, 
To  fight  our  friends  and  relatives 
In  North  America." 

They  embarked  for  New  York  in  the  month  of  May,  1820,  on  the  ship 
"Favor,"  which  was  freighted  with  salt  and  iron.  Young  Frederick  passed 
his  twelfth  birth-day  on  the  sea.  He  tells  us  at  this  time,  "I  was  hardy  and 
healthy,  and  fond  of  work,  but  barely  knew  my  letters,  and  detested  papers 
and  books." 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  was  one  of  the  most  tempestuous,  he 
heard  the  Captain  say,  of" all  the  twenty-two  he  had  made.  Three  times  the 
jib-boom  was  broken  sharp  off  close  to  the  prow  of  the  ship,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion, during  a  severe  blow,  the  vessel  spi-ang  aleak  and  all  hands  were  or- 
dered  to  man  the  pumps. 

On  landing  in  New  York  they  went  up  the  Hudson  to  Newburg,  where  they 
contracted  for  three  teams  to  convey  their  baggage  to  Binghamton,  where 
two  of  his  father's  brothers  had  previously  located. 

He  speaks  of  the  contrast,  intellectually,  between  himself  and  his  brother 
George  Henry,  who  was  but  two  years  his  senior,  and  says:  "George  had 
received  a  scholastic  education,  so  that  in  literary  knowledge,  we  were  the 
two  extremes  of  learning  and  ignorance,  but  we  were  brothers  in  a  higher 
meaning  of  the  term.  We  were  radicals  in  our  idea  of  civil  government, 
and  in  religion,  Materialists." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

SCHOOL  LIFE— APPEENTICED  TO  THE  HATTER'S  TRADE—GEORGE 
HENRY  EVANS— "YOUNG  AMERICA"— ITS  PRINCIPLES— COM- 
MUNISM—JOINS    THE    SHAKERS— LITERARY  WORK- 
END  OF  AN  ACTIVE  LIFE. 

THE  superior  intellectual  intelligence  which  characterized  George  Henry 
Evans,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  his  brother  Frederick,  and  deter- 
mined him  to  seek  for  the  golden  treasures,  he  now  began,  for  the  first  time, 
to  realize,  was  stored  up  in  books.     He  says : — 


130  APPRENTICED. 

"I  now  took  a  sudden  turn  iu  respect  to  books  and  learning.  I  saw  that 
knowledge  was  not  only  power,  but  it  was  also  respect  and  consideration.  I 
made  up  my  mind  that  1  would  learn  to  read  and  love  to  read.  Rly  first  dose 
was  the  'Life  of  Nelson  ;'  then  I  set  myself  to  reading  the  Bible  through  by 
course,  and  I  did  it.  And  here  I  made  a  discovery,  or  rather  my  friends 
did,  that  my  memory  was  so  retentive  that  whatever  I  read  was,  as  it  were, 
pictured  on  my  brain.  I  had  only  to  look  at  the  picture  to  see  it  iu  all  of 
its  minutest  particulars  without  any  effort." 

From  Binghamton  he  was  sent  to  Ithaca  and  placed  under  the  care  of  an 
Episcopal  clergyman  who  proved  a  most  valuable  friend.  He  tells  us  that, 
"One  of  his  first  lessons  was  to  teach  me  how  to  think.  He  had  only  a  doz- 
en scholars  and  we  were  all  well  attended  to.  I  became  with  him  a  great  fa- 
vorite, and  the  times  of  intermission  were  largely  devoted  to  my  special  in- 
struction and  benefit.  At  parting  he  advised  me  'always  so  to  live  that  I 
could  respect  myself,'  and  that  has  ever  since  been  my  life  motto." 

On  leaving  this  school  his  father  bound  him  out  to  learn  the  hatter's  trade, 
with  a  manufacturer  at  Sherburne  Four  Corners,  N.  Y.  Here  he  had  access 
to  a  library  of  valuable  books  and  impi"oved  every  moment  of  his  spare  time 
in  reading  such  books,  he  says,  as  "Rolliu's  Ancient  History,  Plutarch's 
Lives  of  Great  Men,  The  Tattler,  The  Spectator,  and  Zimuierman,  Shakes- 
peare, Watts,  Young,  Thompson,  Socrates,  and  Plato.  I  also  took  up  The- 
ology and  asked  myself  why  I  was  a  Christian  and  not  a  Mahomedan,  or  a 
follower  of  Confucius,  for  I  had  read  the  Koran  and  the  Bibles  of  all  the  na- 
tions that  I  could  obtain.  I  read  Locke  'On  the  Human  Understanding'  and 
'The  Being  of  a  God.'  This  laid  in  me  the  foundation  of  Materialism.  For 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  matter  wais  eternal,  had  never  been  created.  I 
read  Thomas  Paine's  'Crisis'  and  'Rights  of  Man,'  together  with  Volney  and 
Voltaire,  and  became  a  settled  and  confirmed  Materialist ;  a  believer  in  mat- 
ter, as  I  then  understood  it,  the  object  of  my  external  senses  ;  for  I  did  not 
then  know  that  I  had  any  other  senses." 

For  the  next  ten  years  he  kept  up  the  most  intimate  relations  with  his 
brother  George  Henry,  who  was  apprenticed  to  a  firm  in  Ithaca,  and  was 
beginning  to  make  for  himself  a  name  as  a  free  thinker,  and  a  champion  for 
the  rights  of  the  human  race,  in  his  publication,  quite  some  little  time  before 
his  majority,  of  "The  Man." 

George  Henry  was  also  the  originator  of  the  land  movement  in  America, 
on  the  principle  laid  down  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  that  "The  land  belongs  to 
man  iu  usufi-uct  only."  He  had  the  support  of  Horace  Greeley,  who,  at  the 
time  of  the  birth  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  was  one  of  his  warmest  and 
fastest  friends. 

Frederick,  on  the  termination  of  his  apprenticeship,  joined  his  brother 
George  in  the  publication  of  "The  Workingman's  Advocate,"  "The  Daily 
Sentinel,"  "The  Bible  of  Reason,"  "Young  America,"  and  many f^thei- pa- 
pers of  like  tenor. 


GEORGE  HENRY  EVANS.  131 

The  character  of  the  principles  expounded  in  ''Youug  America,"  were 
plainly  set  forth  in  the  head  lines  of  that  sheet : — 

First — "The  right  of  man  to  the  soil :  Vote  yourself  a  farm." 

Second — "Down  with  monopolies,  especially  the  United  States  Bank." 

Third — "Freedom  of  the  public  lands." 

Fom-th — "Homesteads  made  inalienable." 

Fifth — "Abolition  of  all  laws  for  the  collection  of  all  debts." 

Sixth — "A  general  bankrupt  law." 

Seventh — "A  lien  of  the  laborer  upon  his  own  work  for  wages." 

Eighth — "Abolition  of  imprisonment  for  debt." 

Ninth — "Equal  rights  for  women  in  all  respects." 

Tenth — "Abolition  of  chattel  slavery  and  of  wages  slavery." 

Eleventh — "Land  limitation  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,— no  person 
after  the  passage  of  the  law  to  become  possessed  of  land.  But 
on  the  death  of  every  land  monopolist  his  heirs  are  each  to  in- 
herit only  his  legal  number  of  acres,  and  be  compelled  to 
sell  the  overplus,  using  the  proceeds  as  they  pleased." 

Twelfth — "Mails  in  the  United  States  to  run  on  the  Sabbath." 

The  majority  of  the  people  regarded  these  measures  as  highly  chimerical ; 
others  as  inflammatory  and  seditious.  Their  advocates  were  ostracized  as 
instruments  of  evil,  who  were  sowing  vile  seeds  of  discord  and  discontent. 
But  the  enlightened  observer  wiU  note  that  nearly  every  one  of  these  advo- 
cated measures  are  now  the  laws  of  the  land  in  almost  every  State  in  the  I'n- 
ion,  thus  establishing  conclusively  the  superior  intellectual  discernment  of 
these  3'oung  champions  of  sixty  years  ago. 

A  few  years  later,  George  and  Frederick  Evans  became  deeply  interested 
in  the  great  experimental  wave  of  Communism  which  was  then  spreading 
over  the  Middle  and  Western  States. 

Frederick,  anxious  to  know  something  of  the  practical  workings  of  the  in- 
stitution which  promised  so  much  for  the  amelioration  of  the  human  race, 
decided  to  visit  a  society  which  had  been  recently  established  under  the  lead- 
ership of  a  Dr.  Underbill,  in  Massillou,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  and  walked  al- 
most the  entire  distance  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  He  did  not  find  this 
Community  in  such  a  flourishing  condition  as  he  had  anticipated.  Troubles 
were  brewing.  Inharmony  was  the  prevaiUug  feature,  and  within  two  short 
months  after  his  arrival  the  institution  went  to  pieces.  There  was  no 
established  religious  dogma  with  which  they  were  in  accord.  It  was  a  curi- 
ous mixture  of  individuals  of  every  shade  of  belief,  infidels,  materialists, 
spiritualists,  and  a  few  professors  of.  religion,  still  it  was  alleged  that  too 
much  Christianity  was  the  cause  of  the  failure.  Too  little  Christianity 
would  have  been  nearer  the  truth. 

Out  from  the  smouldering  ashes  of  this  defunct  institution  about  one  doz- 
ea  members  resolved   to  form   another  association  which  Frederick  yras  in- 


182  COMMUNISM. 

clined  to  join.     But,  iu  the  meantime,  he  decicLd  first  to  visit  his   oM   home 
and  relatives  in  Enghxnd.     To  this  end  he  embarked  on  a  raft   from  the  vii- 
\age  of  Chautauqua,  drifting  down  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Cin- 
cinnati, thence  on  a  flat-boat,  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans  where  he  • 
shipped  for  New  York,  and  soon  after,  in  1829,  sailed  for  England. 

It  was  on  this  visit  that  he  met  an  aunt,  one  of  his  father's  sifters,  with 
whom  he  had  no  privious  acquaintance.  To  her  he  made  mention  of  a  little 
incident  that  had  always  been  stored  up  in  his  memory,  but  upon  which  none 
of  his  mother's  relatives  could  give  him  any  enlightenment.  He  says  : — "It 
was  the  first  fact  of  which  I  have  any  recollection  and  may  be  of  some  inter- 
est to  a  student  in  anthropology.  I  saw  the  inside  of  a  coach,  and  was 
handed  out  of  it  from  a  woman's  arms  into  those  of  some  other  person.  My 
aunt  was  utterly  astonished  at  th's  recital,  and  informed  me  that  my  mother 
was  coming  down  from  London  to  Birmingham  when  I  wa^  not  more  than 
six  months  old,  that  something  happened  to  the  horses  which  frightened  the 
party  badly,  and  that  I  was  handed  out  by  my  mother  into  the  arms  of  an- 
other person,  just  as  I  had  seen  and  remembered." 

After  nearly  a  year's  absence  from  America,  Frederick  took  ship  again  for 
New  York.  Meeting  with  his  brother  and  the  other  members,  promoters  of 
the  new  Community  scheme,  he  was  deputized  by  the  association,  in  the 
month  of  January,  1830,  to  travel  for  the  purpose  of  seeking  information  re- 
specting the  best  method  of  establishing  a  Communistic  society  on  a  sure  and 
permanent  foundation,  and  for  a  suitable  location  therefor. 

As  a  nucleus  they  had  in  New  York  city  a  "Hall  of  Science,"  so  called, 
from  which  Robert  Dale  Owen  and  Fanny  Wright  expounded  upon  the 
theory  of  Communism,  and  sought  to  make  converts  to  the  new  faith. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  Frederick  was  led,  in  his  travels,  to  visit 
the  Society  of  Shakers  at  Mount  Lebanon,  New  York.  He  tells  us  that  he 
went  there  with  the  feeling  that  they  were  "the  most  ignorant  and  fanatical 
people  in  existence." 

On  his  arrival  at  the  headquarters  of  the  fraternity  and  making  known  his 
mission,  he  was  directed  to  the  North  Family  as  the  proper  place  to  begin 
his  investigations.  He  says  that  he  was  struck  with  the  air  of  freedom  and 
candor  with  which  they  met. his  inquiries,  but  that  after  remaining  with  them 
for  two  or  three  days,  he  became  satisfied  that  they  were  but  a  society  of 
Infidels — a  complex  mixture  of  Rationalists,  Spiritualists,  and  Christians, 
and  that  it  was  the  first  time,  in  his  experience,  that  he  had  ever  met  Re- 
ligionists who  were  Rationalists,  who  were  ready  to  impart  a  reason  for  the 
faith  which  was  in  them. 

However,  later  on,  he  met  with  Abel  Knight,  formerly  a  staid  old  Quaker 
of  Philadelphia,  who  had  passed  through  the  transitory  state  of  Quakerism, 
Socialism,  and  Infidelity,  and  at  last  had  accepted  Shakerism  as  the  true 
and  only  faith.     Abel,  while  residing  in  the  city  of  "Brotherly   Love"  had 


JOINS    THE    SHAKERS.  133 

made  his  house  the  "Sheltering  Arms"  of  all  the  Commuuists  and  Infidels. 
Being  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  he  was  well  qualified  to 
cope  with  Frederick  on  theology  and  the  peculiar  tenets  of  Shakerism.  It 
was  from  the  reasoning  of  this  man,  so  we  are  informal  by  Frederick,  more 
than  aught  else,  which  first  impressed  him  of  the  truth  of  the  Shaker  faith, 
and  the  prayers  of  the  Shakers  which  at  last  broke  down  the  barrier  of 
infidelity  which  he  had  walled  up  to  fortify  himself  against  that  Christian 
institution. 

During  his  stay  of  three  months  with  this  people,  he  says  that  he  was  met 
in  his  own  pathway  by  spirit  manifestations  for  weeks  in  succession,  which 
overwhelmingly  convinced  him  of  the  existence  of  a  spirit  world,  and  con- 
verted him  to  Shakerism.     And  in  this  connection  he  adds  : — 

"After  three  months'  absence  I  returned  to  New  York  to  face  for  the 
first  time  my  astounded  materialistic  friends,  to  whom  a  more  incomprehensi- 
ble change  could  not  have  happened  than  my  apparent  defection  from  their 
ranks.  As  soon  as  my  arrival  in  the  city  was  known,  there  was  a  gathering 
at  my  brother's  office,  the  room  was  well  filled  ;  many  older  than  myself,  to 
whom  I  had  looked  upon  as  my  superiors  in  knowledge  and  experience,  were 
pi'esent.  At  first  there  was  a  little  disposition  shown  by  a  few  to  be  queru- 
lous and  bantering,  while  the  greater  part  took  it  as  a  serious  matter  to  be 
righted  by  solid  argument." 

"I  called  the  attention  of  the  company  and  inquired  whether  any  of  th»m 
wished  to  give  me  any  information  concerning  Materialism  and  its  principles. 
They  all  said,  'No;  you  do  not  need  it.'  I  then  inquired  if  any  one  pri  sent 
was  acquainted  with  Shakerism,  and  again  the  answer  was  'No.'  Then,  gen- 
tlemen, I  rejoined,  it  is  for  you  to  listen  and  for  me  to  speak,  and  I  did  speak, 
giving  them  as  simple  an  account  of  my  experience  thus  far  as  I  was  able.  I 
also  had  a  separate  interview  with  Robert  Dale  Owen  at  the  Hall  of  Science. 
At  the  close  fie  remarked  :  'I  will  come  up  to  New  Lebanon  and  stay  two 
mouths  and  if  1  find  things  as  they  now  appear  tome,  I  will  become  a  Shaker.' 
I  still  await  his  arrival." 

Evidently  it  was  not  Owen's  ambition  to  walk  in  the  "strait  and  narrow 
path"  of  Shakerism.  Frederick  returned  to  Mount  Lebanon  and  eventually 
became  the  most  noted  of  all  the  members  of  the  Mount  Lebanon  Society, 

During  his  career  he  has  lectured  frequently  in  public.  He  has  been  a 
contributor  to  seventy  different  publications.  In  1851)  he  published  a  "Com- 
pendium of  Principles,  Rules,  Doctrines  and  Government  of  Shakers,  with 
Biographies  of  Ann  Lee  and  others."  In  1869  he  published  his  "Autobiog- 
raphy of  a  Shaker,"  and  "Tests  of  Divine  Revelation  ;"  in  London,  in  1871, 
"Shaker  Communism ;"  and  in  the  same  year  he  delivered  a  lecture  in  St. 
George's  Hall  on  "Religious  Communism,"  in  1873,  published  the  "Second 
Appearing  of  Christ,"  and  for  three  years,  1873-5  he  edited  and  published, 
with  Antoinette  Doolittle  as  his  associate,  a  periodical  entitled  "The  Shaker 
and  Shakeress." 


lo4  END    OF    AX    ACTIVE    LIFE. 

He  was  foremost  in  the  discussion  of  the  prominent  topics  of  thi  (l;iv  ; 
and  while  he  cast  no  vote  at  the  polls  iii  any  political  contest,  his  ready  pen 
was  often  employed  in  battles  for  justice  and  equality  for  all  mankind  in 
every  walk  of  life. 

Some  little  time  since,  in  reviewing  his  years  of  experience  as  a  Shaker,  he 
used  these  words  : — 

"I  feel  satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  God  and  his  [jeople  to  me.  1  have 
gained  a  victory  over  self  which  causes  my  peace  to  flow  as  a  river,  and 
which  fills  me  with  sj'mpathy  for  all  seekers  after  truth  and  righteousness, 
whoever  and  wherever  they  may  be." 

Elder  Frederick  William  Evans  was  a  man  remarkably  well  preserved  for 
one  of  his  years.  For  sixtj'  3'ears  he  was  a  vegetarian,  in  all  that  term  im- 
plies ;  temperate  and  systematic  in  all  his  habits.  A  man  of  robust  form  and 
benign  countenance  ;  his  philanthropic  labors  commanded  the  admiration  of 
all.  At  Mount  Lebanon,  "To  the  Society  of  Believers,  he  was  as  a  watch- 
man on  the  tower  of  Zion ;  one  of  her  main  standard  bearers  and  a  mouth- 
piece from  which  issued  words  of  eternal  truth."  He  was  the  "grand  old 
man"  of  Shakerdom,  and  will  be  as  sadly  missed  by  as  many  without  the 
fold  as  those  within  the  pale  of  this  Christian  Community. 


Date  Due 


^^2A*E' 


■.'MAY  t^"7r 


DEC   1  0  '74 


'»««»*'«»nww.,»^ 


^^t^iWiiaiij^wwitiiBiiiiiW^ 


